A 385mV, 270nW, Accurate Voltage Level Detector for IoT

Abstract

Voltage Level Detectors (VLD) are used to determine that the computing system has reached a valid operating voltage and can initiate computation. The VLD must detect its own supply voltage, which makes it a challenge for low voltage applications. In this work, a VLD is presented which can detect supplies as low as 385mV at a power of 270nW. Despite the low power, a fast detection speed of $12\mu\mathrm{s}$ is demonstrated. The circuit occupies a small footprint of $6900\mu\mathrm{m}^{2}$. These characteristics make the circuit attractive for IoT applications.