Optimal Body Biasing for Maximizing Circuit Performance in 65nm CMOS
Technology
Farshad Moradi 1,3, Tuan Vu Caol, Dag T. Wislad I, Snor e Aunee, Hid Maoodi2,
INaoelectronic goup, University of Oslo, Norway
2School of Engineering, Sa Fracisco State University, CA, USA
3Navik University College, Narvik, Norway
ABSTRACT
In thi paper, the efect of bod-biasing technique in 65nm
CMOS technolog is investgaed The optmum bod volage
in diferent process corer to get the mamum ON cu"ent
is acquired using ST 65nm technolog. The efectveness of
body biaing technique i investgated for sub- and super
threshold dsigns We show tha for higher supply voltage,
there is an optmum bod volage to ge the mamum
petormance The results for some Fi-Fops are shown.
Keyords
Body-biasing, 65nm, nao-scale, sub-threshold
I. INTRODUCTION
Making energ efcient elecronic systems is currently becoming
more and more importat. The demads for combining hig
performance operation and long battery lifetime in portable ad
wireless applications have strong implications on how to desig such
systems. Te need for cost optimized solutions tageting lage
volume applications results in combining all system components on
one single chip usually referred to as a System on Chip (SOC). Such
systems combine advaced R ad analog blocks in the font-end
and anaogdigital interfacing circuitry with complex digital parts
performing sigal processing, system control ad storage. I order to
mae energ optimized solutions, all aspects must be taken into
account. The introduction of intelligent power control ad efcient
modulation methods h reduced the energy consumption of such
systems sigifcantly. However some parts of the system may not be
put in idle mode, especially those pats taking cae of the power
control and monitoring trigger events for leaving idle mode. The fac
tha these pars of the system are always on leaves a geat potential of
saving energ by reducing the supply voltage and introducing new
and innovative techniques a device-level.
This paper is focusing on body-biasing techniques in order to fnd
the optimum operating conditions for PMOS ad NMOS devices in
deep subIicron technology. Body biasing techniques have been used
to alter the MOS threshold voltage in order to either increase the
speed or reduce leakage. According to theory ad in more
conventional devices, forwad body biasing (FBB) reduces the
threshold voltage while Reverse Body Biasing h the opposite
efect. I deep submicron devices, the efec of these techniques is
more complicated due to short channel efecs. This work is focusing
on analyzing the efect of these techniques using a stadad 65nm
CMOS process and to frther determine how to utilize FBB ad RBB
to establish optimal operating conditions for digital circuitry
targeting hig performance ad low energ operation. I order to
predic the efect of FBB and RB both as a fnction of physical
parameters, geometry ad temperaure, a aaytic approah
combined with circuit simulations has been chosen to determine the
physical origin of the observed behavior and the pracical
consequences for circuit desig utilizing the subthreshold operating
regime [I]-[3]. I secion II the body biasing technique is analyzed in
detail along with simulaion results. I this section, the efect of body
biaing in 65nm CMOS is investigated in detail. Section III shows
some desig examples to show the efcacy of body-biasing
technique. Secion N contains the conclusions.
II. BODY BIASING TECHNIQUE
I this section the efect of forward body biasing (FBB) ad
reverse body biasing (RBB) techniques on the current throug
NMOS ad PMOS devices a investigated. Body biasing is used to
change the threshold voltage of trasistors governed by the following
equaion:
VT
=
VTO + (y,210FI + VSB - ,210FD
(I)
where ' is the body threshold paeter, V 1 is the threshold voltae
in VSB=O, ad
0
F is the strong inversion surface potential which can
be neglected compared with VSB for lower supply voltaes. Te
threshold voltage equation may then be simplifed to this equaion:
VT
=
VTO - yVBS
(2)
As observed fom this equaion, by increasing the body voltae
(NMOS) relaive to the source voltage, the threshold voltage is
decreaed ad then the current is increased, while in PMOS
trasistors by increasing the body voltage (Reverse body bias), the
threshold voltae is increased ad then the current is decreased [4].
By applying the RBB technique to NMOS devices, the source
voltage is higer tha body voltage, so by increasing the source
voltage, the threshold voltae increases ad then the current throug
the NMOS is decreased. By utilizing reverse body biasing technique
in NMOS devices, the threshold voltage decreases and as a result, the
drain curent increaes which in tur improves the speed of the
circuit. Theefore, the higest speed of the NMOS is expected to be
when the body is connected to the maimum allowed forward body
bia voltae. I the cae of a PMOS, when the body voltage is
connected to lowest possible voltage, the threshold voltage is
expected to be a its minimum, maimizing the ON current of the
PMOS device. Te liIitation, however, is that the forward bias
amount must be small enoug to prevent the junction diodes from
turing on.
This limits the forwad bias rage to be below the PN diode built-in
potential, giving an acceptable forward bia range of about 500mV.
Forwad bias h been shown not only to improve performance, but
to also reduce short chanel efecs [5]. Reverse body bias is while
the body to source is reversely biased. I this case, the current is
expected to decrease due to negative body to source voltage.
A. BodBiaing in Scaed Technolgies
Body-Biasing efciency is diminished with technology scaling
because of worsening SCE, especially when the taget V T value is
low.
I 65nm CMOS technology, body biasing technique has a
diferent efect on NMOS ad PMOS devices compaed to older
978-1-61284-857-0/11/$26.00 ©2011 IEEE