A high-speed circuit with a high-voltage (HV) driver circuit. The high-speed circuit has a driver circuit and a level shifter. The driver circuit includes HV components which are operated in an HV domain. The level shifter includes low-voltage (LV) components which are operated in an LV domain. The level shifter translates signals from the LV domain to the HV domain to generate control signals for the driver circuit. The high-speed circuit may include a protection voltage generator converting a power supply voltage and a power ground voltage to generate a first direct-current bias voltage (VBP) and a second direct-current bias voltage (VBN) to bias the LV components of the level shifter. The LV components of the level shifter include input transistors and protection transistors. Gate voltages of the protection transistors may be tied to VBP or VBN.

A high-speed voltage clamping circuit includes p-type field effect transistor (PFET) biasing circuit, an n-type field effect transistor (NFET) biasing circuit, and a field effect transistor (FET) clamp circuit. The PFET biasing circuit is configured to generate a PFET biasing voltage. The NFET biasing circuit is configured to generate a NFET biasing voltage. The FET clamp circuit is in signal communication with the PFET biasing circuit and the NFET biasing circuit. The PFET biasing circuit controls operation of the clamping circuit in response to a voltage overshoot event and the NFET biasing circuit controls operation of the clamping circuit in response to a voltage undershoot event.

A circuit includes a first transistor having first and second current terminals and a first control input, and a second transistor having third and fourth current terminals and a second control input. The third current terminal is connected to the second current terminal at an intermediate node and the fourth current terminal connected to a ground or supply node. In some cases, a third transistor is connected to the intermediate node to bias the intermediate rather than letting the intermediate node float. In other cases, a capacitor is connected to the intermediate node to reduce a negative voltage that might otherwise be present on the intermediate node.

A physical unclonable function (PUF)-based method for enhancing system reliability is provided, including: requesting, by a client, data transmission with a server; randomly selecting, by the server, a plurality of metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) devices in an MOS array, and acquiring positional information of the plurality of MOS devices; calculating, by the server, a probabilistic PUF that the trap in each of the plurality of MOS devices is occupied by a carrier and constructing a probabilistic model; randomly generating, by the server, detection time according to the probabilistic model and sending the detection time and the positional information to the client; and determining, by the server, an occupancy probability of the trap in each of the plurality of MOS devices at the detection time according to the probabilistic model, and generating a theoretical code key.

The present disclosure provides an SST driving circuit, a chip, and a driving output method. The SST driving circuit includes: a signal driver for driving and outputting a signal to be driven, the signal driver including termination resistors; a first electrostatic current discharge module, providing first discharge paths for electrostatic currents generated in the signal driver; a second electrostatic current discharge module, connected in series with the termination resistors, providing second discharge paths for the electrostatic currents; and a power clamp, used for conducting the power clamp circuit, the first discharge paths and the second discharge paths when a power supply voltage of the signal driver exceeds a clamping voltage. The present disclosure provides different discharge paths, which effectively reduces voltage borne by a protected device through a voltage division method, and improves the device's ability to protect against electrostatic discharge.

A buffer circuit includes an input terminal configured to receive an input signal, an output terminal, an inverter, and a resistor-capacitor (RC) circuit coupled in series with the inverter between the input terminal and the output terminal. The RC circuit includes an NMOS transistor coupled between an RC circuit output terminal and a reference node, a resistor coupled between the RC circuit output terminal and a power supply node, and a capacitor coupled between the RC circuit output terminal and one of the power supply node or the reference node, and the inverter and the RC circuit are configured to generate an output signal at the output terminal based on the input signal.

A semiconductor integrated circuit device includes: first and second transistors provided between a first power source and an output terminal; a step-down circuit that generates a second power source from the first power source; a power source switch circuit that outputs, as a fourth power source, a higher one of potentials of the second power source and a third power source; and a level shifter circuit that transits between the first power source and a fourth power source. The first transistor has a gate connected to an output of the level shifter circuit; the second transistor has a gate connected to the fourth power source.

An aspect of the disclosure relates to an apparatus including a first field effect transistor (FET) including a first gate configured to receive a first input signal that varies in accordance with a first voltage domain; and a first inverter including a first input configured to receive a second input signal that varies in accordance with a second voltage domain, and a first output configured to generate a first output signal that varies in accordance with the second voltage domain, wherein the first output signal is based on the first and second input signals, and wherein the first FET and the first inverter are coupled in series between first and second voltage rails. Per another aspect, the apparatus includes additional circuitry to allow the apparatus to process signals in accordance with a third voltage domain.

A level-shifting output buffer has cascode transistors with varying rather than fixed gate bias voltages. An adaptive regulator bypasses the I/O pad voltage to a regulator output when the I/O begins switching, but later clamps the regulator output to a middle bias voltage. The regulator output can be applied to a supply terminal of a buffer that drives the gate of the cascode transistor. Since the adaptive regulator follows the I/O pad voltage as switching begins, a voltage boost is provided to the gates of the cascode transistors, allowing for higher currents or smaller cascode transistors and preventing over-voltage stress. The adaptive regulator has an n-channel bypass transistor between the I/O pad and the regulator output, and an n-channel clamp transistor between the regulator output and the middle bias, with a gate driven from the I/O pad by either a p-channel gate-biasing transistor or an n-channel gate-biasing transistor.

A semiconductor integrated circuit device includes: first and second transistors provided between a first power source and an output terminal; a step-down circuit that generates a second power source from the first power source; a power source switch circuit that outputs, as a fourth power source, a higher one of potentials of the second power source and a third power source; and a level shifter circuit that transits between the first power source and a fourth power source. The first transistor has a gate connected to an output of the level shifter circuit; the second transistor has a gate connected to the fourth power source.