A GIDL free tunneling gate driver for a low power non-volatile memory array

摘要

A recently presented single-poly non-volatile C-Flash memory bitcell provides an ultra-low power low cost option for embedded RFID design. This cell requires the application of a 10V potential difference between the cell's control lines for program and erase operations. Providing the required voltages includes several challenges in the design of the voltage driver, such as the elimination of Gate Induced Drain Leakage (GIDL) currents. In this paper, we present a voltage driver architecture that utilizes novel techniques to overcome the power consumption problems during high voltage propagation. This driver was implemented in the TowerJazz 0.18µm CMOS technology, providing the required functionality with a low static-power figure of 34.6pW.