Design challenges for near and sub-threshold operation: A case study with an ARM Cortex-M0+ based WSN subsystem

摘要

Energy-efficient, low-cost wireless sensor nodes (WSN) will be a key component in enabling the Internet of Things. The main challenges for these nodes are energy efficiency, cost and ease of software development. At ARM Research, we investigate sub-threshold and near-threshold systems using a custom-built 65nm CMOS ARM Cortex-M0+ platform. This paper will present key challenges of implementing an ultra-low-voltage SoC, managing leakage and dynamic power, and scaling operating voltage from full voltage to sub-threshold operation. We will cover the design of custom voltage regulator and SRAM IP blocks and also consider a real-world ECG signal processing application.