SINGLE POWER SUPPLY LOGIC LEVEL SHIFTER CIRCUIT

• US 20130271181A1
• Filed: 04/17/2012
• Published: 10/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Hoki, Hwang, Changku, Shin, Jinuk
• Granted Patent: US 8,816,720 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 326/63
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/017509 Interface arrangements

Abstract

A system and method of shifting a data signal from a first voltage domain having a first logic level to a second voltage domain having a second logic level, the second logic level having a second logical high state greater than a first logical high state in the first logic level and a single power supply logic level shifter circuit having a single power supply source, an input node and an output node, the input node coupled to a sender circuit in the first voltage domain and the output node coupled to a receiver circuit in the second voltage domain, the single power supply source being coupled only to a single power grid in the second voltage domain.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit comprising:

a first voltage domain having a first logical high state;

a second voltage domain having a second logical high state, the second logical high state being greater than the first logical high state; and

a single power supply logic level shifter circuit having a single power supply source, an input node and an output node, the input node coupled to a sender circuit in the first voltage domain and the output node coupled to a receiver circuit in the second voltage domain, the single power supply source being coupled only to a single power grid in the second voltage domain.

2. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the single power supply logic level shifter circuit is included with the second voltage domain.

3. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the single power supply logic level shifter circuit is included a boundary domain disposed between the first voltage domain and the second voltage domain.

4. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the single power supply logic level shifter circuit is disposed external from both of the first voltage domain and the second voltage domain and wherein the single power supply logic level shifter circuit is disposed adjacent to one of the first voltage domain and the second voltage domain.

5. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the single power supply logic level shifter circuit includes a charge and break circuit.

6. The integrated circuit of claim 5, wherein the charge and break circuit is coupled between the single power source and an intermediate node.

7. The integrated circuit of claim 6, wherein the charge and break circuit includes a three gate delay circuit having an input coupled to the output node and an output coupled to a pull-up transistor, the pull-up transistor output coupled to the intermediate node.

8. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the single power supply logic level shifter circuit includes a bleeder circuit.

9. The integrated circuit of claim 8, wherein the bleeder circuit is coupled between the single power source and an intermediate node.

10. The integrated circuit of claim 9, wherein the bleeder circuit couples a leakage current to the intermediate node.

11. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the single power supply logic level shifter circuit includes a charge and break circuit and a bleeder circuit.

12. A method of shifting logic levels from a first voltage to a second voltage comprising:

the first voltage domain having a first logical high state, the second voltage domain having a second logical high state, the second logical high state being greater than the logical high state;

shifting an input signal from low to high on an input node in a single power supply logic level shifter circuit;

discharging an output node of the single power supply logic level shifter circuit to a low state, wherein the single power supply logic level shifter circuit is coupled to a single power supply source, the input node coupled to a sender circuit in the first voltage domain and the output node coupled to a receiver circuit in the second voltage domain, the single power supply source being coupled to a power grid in the second voltage domain.