Dynamic depletion mode: an E/D MOSFET circuit method for improved performance

A new method of designing enhancement/depletion (E/D) MOSFET circuits, involving the dynamic or pulsed use of depletion-mode devices, is described. The method can result in improvements in performance and/or power in the design of memory, logic, and driver circuits. The method is compared with the standard approach to the design of E/D circuits. Several circuits designed by the method have been simulated by use of a numerical circuit analysis program and have been placed on an experimental test chip. Theoretical and experimental results are presented.