Optimization of FinFET-based gain cells for low power sub-vt embedded drams

Sub-threshold circuits (sub-V T) are a promising alternative in the implementation of low power electronics. The implementation of gain-cell embedded DRAMs (eDRAMs) based on FinFET devices requires a careful design to achieve the maximum cell performance (i.e., retention time, access time, and energ...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Amat, Esteve, Calomarde Palomino, Antonio|||0000-0002-4459-8505, Canal Corretger, Ramon|||0000-0003-4542-204X, Rubio Sola, Jose Antonio|||0000-0003-1625-1472
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2018
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repositorio:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/122302
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/122302
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Power electronics
SRAM
DRAM
gain-cells
FinFET
Electrònica de potència
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria electrònica::Electrònica de potència
Descripción
Sumario:Sub-threshold circuits (sub-V T) are a promising alternative in the implementation of low power electronics. The implementation of gain-cell embedded DRAMs (eDRAMs) based on FinFET devices requires a careful design to achieve the maximum cell performance (i.e., retention time, access time, and energy consumption) suitable for the sub-V T operating level. In this work, we show that asymmetrically resizing the memory cell (i.e., the channel length of the write access transistor and the width of the rest of the devices) results in a 3.5× increase in retention time when compared to the nominal case while reducing area, as well. In terms of reliability (e.g., variability and soft errors), the resizing also improves the cell robustness (50% and 1.9×, respectively) when the cells are operated at sub-V T level.