Scribd
Upload
179 views

ECE520 - VLSI Design: Lecture 5: Basic CMOS Inverter

This document summarizes key topics from Lecture 5 of the ECE520 - VLSI Design course. The lecture covers the basic CMOS inverter, including its resistive load, voltage transfer characteristic curves, power dissipation, switching threshold, noise margins, and robustness to device variations and scaling of the supply voltage. Simulation results are shown comparing resistive load and CMOS inverters. Design considerations like transistor sizing ratios and minimum supply voltage requirements are also discussed.

Uploaded by

Venkata Kishore
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
179 views

ECE520 - VLSI Design: Lecture 5: Basic CMOS Inverter

This document summarizes key topics from Lecture 5 of the ECE520 - VLSI Design course. The lecture covers the basic CMOS inverter, including its resistive load, voltage transfer characteristic curves, power dissipation, switching threshold, noise margins, and robustness to device variations and scaling of the supply voltage. Simulation results are shown comparing resistive load and CMOS inverters. Design considerations like transistor sizing ratios and minimum supply voltage requirements are also discussed.

Uploaded by

Venkata Kishore
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 13

ECE520 VLSI Design

Lecture 5: Basic CMOS Inverter

Payman Zarkesh-Ha
Office: ECE Bldg. 230B
Office hours: Tuesday 2:00-3:00PM or by appointment
E-mail: [email protected]

ECE520 - Lecture 5

University of New Mexico

Slide: 1

Review of Last Lecture


Short Channel Effects

Source-Drain resistance
Subthreshold conduction
Velocity saturation
Mobility degradation
Threshold voltage rolloff
DIBL effect
Punch through
Hot electron
Narrow channel effect

Device Scaling Issues

ECE520 - Lecture 5

University of New Mexico

Slide: 2

Todays Lecture
Overview of T-SPICE
BASIC CMOS Inverter
Resistive load inverter
VTC curves
Power dissipation estimation

Static Behavior of CMOS Inverter


Switching threshold
Noise margin
CMOS Voltage-Transfer Characteristic (VTC)

CMOS Inverter Robustness


Device variations
Vdd scaling (minimum supply voltage)

ECE520 - Lecture 5

University of New Mexico

Slide: 3

Overview of TSPICE (input file)


* Test Circuit for VLSI Class
Vdd Vp gnd DC 5V
RL

Vp Vout 10K

M1

Vout Vin gnd gnd CMOSN W=8um L=1.6um

Vin Vin gnd DC 5V


.DC Vin 0 5 0.05
.plot Vout
.include 'device_model.modlib'
.end

ECE520 - Lecture 5

University of New Mexico

Slide: 4

Overview of TSPICE (output waveform)

ECE520 - Lecture 5

University of New Mexico

Slide: 5

Resistive Load Inverter


A resistive load inverter consists of a pull down NMOS and a
pull up resistor
Voltage Transfer Characteristic (VTC) is a function of transistor size and
resistor value
A good inverter provide a fast transition in VTC curve

ECE520 - Lecture 5

University of New Mexico

Slide: 6

Resistive Load Inverter Design


The pull up resistor must be calculated to maintain a specific
low level voltage (VOL) at the output
Example:
RL

Kn = 100 uA/V2
VT0 = 0.7 V
VOL = 0.25 V

How to compute RL as a function of (W/L)?


How much is RL for (W/L)=5 ?

ECE520 - Lecture 5

University of New Mexico

Slide: 7

Power in Resistive Load Inverter


When the output is high, there is no current drawn from VDD
When the output is low, a DC current is drawn from VDD
Assuming probability is 50% for logic high and logic low
How to compute Power in the previous example?

RL

How much is the power for a design with 100K similar resistive
load logic gate?
ECE520 - Lecture 5

University of New Mexico

Slide: 8

Review of Resistive Load Inverter


Example:

VOH = 5.0 V

Kn = 100 uA/V2
VT0 = 0.7 V
VOL = 0.25 V
(W/L) = 5
RL = 9.1 K

V(out)

RL

VOL = 0.25 V

0
VIL = 0.9 V

VIH = 2.2 V

V(in)
ECE520 - Lecture 5

University of New Mexico

Slide: 9

Noise Margin
Noise Margin

NMH VOH VIH


NM L VIL VOL
It is better to have:

ECE520 - Lecture 5

University of New Mexico

VOH = VDD
VOL = VSS
Large NMH
Large NML

Slide: 10

Switching Threshold Voltage

V(out)

RL

Example:

Kn = 100 uA/V2
VT0 = 0.7 V
VOL = 0.25 V
(W/L) = 5
RL = 9.1 K

V(in) = V(out)

VM = 1.9 V

VM = 1.9 V

V(in)
ECE520 - Lecture 5

University of New Mexico

Slide: 11

Switching Threshold Voltage Calculation


How to compute VM

Connect output to the input pin


Find out MOS operating region
Write the equations for current
Calculate VM

Example:
VM in resistive load inverter

ECE520 - Lecture 5

University of New Mexico

Slide: 12

Noise Margin Estimation


How to compute Noise Margin

Usually it is harder to compute the exact value of NM


Use approximation (gain factor)
Determine gain at VM
Extrapolate VIL and VIH
VOL and VOH are easy to compute

Example:

Vout

NML and NMH in resistive load inverter

V OH

VM

V in
V OL

ECE520 - Lecture 5

V IL

VIH

University of New Mexico

Slide: 13

NMOS Inverter
Large pull up resistor was a problem for resistive load inverter
Depletion mode NMOS was an efficient way to implement a
resistive pull up
Depletion device has an implant in the channel to give it a negative VT and
so it is always on it was a very effective non-linear load device
This solved the area, but not the noise margin or power problems

ECE520 - Lecture 5

University of New Mexico

Slide: 14

Pseudo NMOS Inverter


Since a resistor is so big, its better to use a single PMOS
transistor that is always on:
PMOS pull up
NMOS pull down

Why dont we use NMOS pull up?

ECE520 - Lecture 5

University of New Mexico

Slide: 15

CMOS Inverter
CMOS inverter is comprised of
PMOS pull up
NMOS pull down

Advantages

No direct path from VDD to GND (zero static power - except for leakage)
Better noise margin (Rail-to-rail output swing)
Ratio-less logic (output level not depend on gate size)
Always finite resistance to VDD or GND
Very high input impedance

ECE520 - Lecture 5

University of New Mexico

Slide: 16

Switching model of CMOS Inverter


Treat each transistor as either on or
off
Each transistor has an on
resistance
This isnt a bad model as long as the
input transition is quite a bit faster than
the output transition and its very
intuitive

Delay of the gate depends of the


effective transistor resistant and
load capacitance

ECE520 - Lecture 5

University of New Mexico

Slide: 17

CMOS Inverter VTC

ECE520 - Lecture 5

University of New Mexico

Slide: 18

CMOS Inverter Switching Threshold


How to compute VM in CMOS logic gate?
Use the previous method to compute VM
Assume velocity saturation model

Assume long channel model

ECE520 - Lecture 5

University of New Mexico

Slide: 19

CMOS Inverter Noise Margin


How to compute noise margin in CMOS logic gate?
Use the previous method to approximate Noise Margin

Vout
V OH

VM

where
V in
V OL

V IL

ECE520 - Lecture 5

V IH

University of New Mexico

Slide: 20

10

Design of CMOS Inverter


For typical CMOS processes, n = 2 to 3 times p
To get maximum noise margin we can make Wp = 2.5Wn
We dont actually implement this ideal case

Switching threshold voltage is not sensitive to (Wp/Wn) ratio


This means NMs are not seriously compromised by (wp/wn) ratios not equal
to 1
1.8
1.7
1.6
1.5

V (V)

1.4
1.3
1.2
1.1
1
0.9
0.8
10

10

W /W
p

ECE520 - Lecture 5

University of New Mexico

Slide: 21

What (Wp/Wn) Ratio to Use?


We really want the best speed/power ratio
At Wp = 2.5 Wn the rise and fall times for the gate (assuming that
they are equal at the input) will be equal
Each gate is a load for a preceding gate
As we widen the PMOS we slow down the previous gate
Every increment of width adds C
C is important term in power (the one we can control!)

It turns out that its best to use a ratio of about 1.5 rather than
2.5-3 that would give us equal rise and fall times
In this case, NMOS are faster and PMOS slower, but the faster
falling input helps make up for the slower rising output and the
overall C

ECE520 - Lecture 5

University of New Mexico

Slide: 22

11

Robustness of CMOS Inverter


Impact of process variation
2.5

Good PMOS
Bad NMOS

Vout(V)

1.5

Nominal
1

Good NMOS
Bad PMOS

0.5

0
0

0.5

1.5

2.5

Vin (V)

ECE520 - Lecture 5

University of New Mexico

Slide: 23

Minimum Supply Voltage


2.5

0.2

2
0.15

V out (V)

V out (V)

1.5
0.1

1
0.05

0.5

Gain=-1
0
0

0.5

1.5

2.5

0
0

V (V)

0.1
V (V)

0.15

0.2

in

in

ECE520 - Lecture 5

0.05

University of New Mexico

Slide: 24

12

Minimum Supply Voltage


Once VDD drops below threshold voltage, the transistors operate
in the subthreshold region.
Using equation for subthreshold region we can prove:

1
g e VDD
n

ECE520 - Lecture 5

2 T

University of New Mexico

Slide: 25

13

You might also like