A 40nm 1.0Mb Pipeline 6T SRAM with Variation-Tolerant Step-Up Word-Line and Adaptive Data-Aware Write-Assist

Abstract

We present a 1.0Mb pipeline 6T SRAM in 40nm Low-Power CMOS technology. The design employs a variation-tolerant Step-Up Word-Line (SUWL) to improve the Read Static Noise Margin (RSNM) without compromising the Read performance and Write-ability. The Write-ability is further enhanced by an Adaptive Data-Aware Write-Assist (ADAWA) scheme. The 1.0Mb test chip operates from 1.5V to 0.7V, with operating frequency of 800MHz@1.2V and 25 degrees C. The measured power consumption is 23.21mW (Active)/2.42mW (Leakage) at 1.2V, TT, 25 degrees C; and 6.01mW (Active)/0.35mW (Leakage) at 0.7V, TT, 25 degrees C.