A Low Voltage SRAM Using Resonant Supply Boosting

This paper presents a novel resonating inductor-based supply boosting scheme for low-voltage static random-access memories and logic in deep 14-nm silicon on insulator (SOI) FinFET technologies. The technique combines capacitive (C) and inductive (L) boosting for the first time. Simulation and measured hardware results from a 14-nm test chip show that this new technique is able to improve V
_min
(down to 0.3 V), functional yield, and access time, when compared with designs with or without capacitive-boosted supplies. Simulations also reveal the optimal combinations of “L” and “C” needed for each V
_dd
to achieve minimal boost voltage, where the static random-access memory can be rendered fully functional in the absence of any assist circuitry. Furthermore, the resonant supply provides power savings compared with a boosted supply alone.