Name
Title | ||
|---|---|---|
A digitally-controlled power-aware low-dropout regulator to reduce standby current drain in ultra-low-power MCU |
Abstract | ||
|---|---|---|
In this paper, we describe a fully-integrated digitally-controlled low-dropout regulator (LDO) with dual-loop architecture, providing core voltage to an ultra-low-power microcontroller (MCU). The fine-grained loop dynamically modulates the active-mode LDO drive-strength using the MCU power-modes information for a maximum load current of 6mA, thereby improving the active-mode current efficiency. The coarse-grained loop, enabled to regulate the output voltage only when the MCU enters the standby-mode, ensures ultra-low quiescent current consumption of 500nA, preventing standby drain. A thermometric binary-weighted power-switch matrix improves the transient response figure-of-merit (FOM) by switching between the different power modes. A charge-pump based voltage monitoring circuit is added to allow for wider input voltage range with reduced ripple. Fast digitally-controlled transient response of the LDO allowed the replacement of the (usually off-chip) large capacitor with a high-density on-chip ferroelectric capacitor, thus reducing the LDO sleep-to-active recovery time/energy and allowing full system-on-chip integration. The digitally-controlled LDO, with a wide input voltage range of 1.75–3.3V and nominal output of 1.2V is implemented in a 0.13µm CMOS technology with an active area of 0.034mm2, achieving a FOM of 4.44ps with standby-mode current efficiency of more than 90% for all practical purposes. |
Year | DOI | Venue |
|---|---|---|
2015 | 10.1109/ISQED.2015.7085406 | ISQED |
Keywords | Field | DocType |
switches,cmos,low power electronics,figure of merit,transient response,capacitors,cmos integrated circuits,mcu,energy harvesting,ldo,microcontrollers | Transient response,CPU core voltage,Capacitor,Computer science,Voltage,Electronic engineering,CMOS,Ripple,Electrical engineering,Low-dropout regulator,Dropout voltage | Conference |
ISSN | Citations | PageRank |
1948-3287 | 0 | 0.34 |
References | Authors | |
5 | 4 | |
Name | Order | Citations | PageRank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kaushik Mazumdar | 1 | 37 | 4.34 |
| Steven Bartling | 2 | 17 | 3.22 |
| Sudhanshu Khanna | 3 | 55 | 8.45 |
| Mircea R. Stan | 4 | 3103 | 277.34 |