An apparatus for performing level shift control in an electronic device includes an input stage positioned in a level shifter of the electronic device, and an output stage positioned in the level shifter and coupled to the input stage through a set of intermediate nodes. The input stage is arranged for receiving at least one input signal of the level shifter through at least one input terminal of the input stage and controlling voltage levels of the set of intermediate nodes according to the at least one input signal. The input stage includes a hybrid current control circuit coupled to the at least one input terminal and arranged for performing current control for the input stage. The hybrid current control circuit is equipped with multiple sets of parallel paths for controlling currents passing through the set of intermediate nodes, respectively, each set may include two or more paths in parallel.

A circuit includes an input circuit, a level shifter circuit, an output circuit, and a first and a second feedback circuit. The input circuit is coupled to a first voltage supply, and configured to receive a first input signal, and to generate at least a second input signal. The level shifter circuit is coupled to a second voltage supply, and configured to generate at least a first and second signal responsive to at least the enable signal or the first input signal. The output circuit is coupled to at least the level shifter circuit and the second voltage supply, and configured to generate at least an output signal, a first and second feedback signal responsive to the first signal. The first and second feedback circuit are configured to receive the enable signal, and the inverted enable signal, and the corresponding first and second feedback signal.

A register with data retention includes a master-slave flip-flop, a balloon latch, and a level shifter. The master-slave flip-flop is supplied by a first power voltage. The balloon latch is supplied by a second power voltage. The second power voltage is independent of the first power voltage. The level shifter provides a voltage conversion between the master-slave flip-flop and the balloon latch. A data is stored in the master-slave flip-flop. When the first power voltage is disabled, the balloon latch is configured to temporarily retain the data.

Output signal generation circuitry 100 may be used for converting an input signal 110 from a source voltage domain to an output signal for a destination voltage domain, the destination voltage domain operating from a supply voltage that exceeds a stressing threshold of components within the output signal generation circuitry. The output signal generation circuitry may comprise level shifting circuitry 160 operating from the supply voltage, which is configured to generate at an output node 130 the output signal for the destination voltage domain in dependence on the input signal. The output signal generation circuitry may also comprise tracking circuitry 280A, 280B, 280C, 280D associated with at least one component of the level shifting circuitry to ensure that a voltage drop across the at least one component does not exceed the stressing threshold, wherein the tracking circuitry additionally introduces a delay in a change in the output signal in response to a change in the input signal. Timing compensation circuitry 180A, 180B may also be provided, to control the voltage on the output node in a manner to compensate for the delay introduced by the tracking circuitry.

A level shifter includes an input circuit configured to generate and output first and second intermediate signals based on an input signal that transitions between a first voltage level and a second voltage level. The level shifter includes a feed forward circuit configured to receive the first intermediate signal from the input circuit and generate and output a third intermediate signal enabled in a part of a period in which the first intermediate signal is enabled and to receive the second intermediate signal from the input circuit and generate and output a fourth intermediate signal enabled in a part of a period in which the second intermediate signal is enabled. Moreover, the level shifter includes a level shifting circuit configured to receive the first through fourth intermediate signals and to shift the input signal to an output signal that transitions between a third voltage level and the second voltage level.

A compact and reliable changeable negative voltage transmission circuit is described. It is very useful for applications need passing changeable negative voltage to selected pins in certain mode. The changeable negative voltage is 0V when enable signal EN is low and −V1 when enable signal EN is high. The circuit includes a control circuit and an output circuit. The control circuit includes a control high power source V.sub.DD and a control low power source V.sub.NEG. The control circuit generates control output signals CON and CON_B to the output circuit to output either 0V if IN is low or −V1 if IN is high when EN is high. Only single type V.sub.T transistor is used in the transmission circuit without any reliability concern, no extra bias voltage is need, which reduces the area and keeps the manufacturing cost low.

When a signal of high amplitude is outputted, a drain-to-source voltage exceeding a withstand voltage may be applied. The semiconductor device according to the present invention includes a level shift circuit that outputs a high amplitude signal from the input of a low amplitude logical signal. The level shift circuit includes a series coupling circuit, a first gate control circuit coupled to a first power supply, a second gate control circuit coupled to a second power supply of a potential higher than the potential of the first power supply, and a potential conversion circuit arranged between the first gate control circuit and the series coupling circuit. The potential conversion circuit supplies a first level potential, which is lower than the potential of the first power supply and higher than the potential of the reference power supply, to a gate of an N-channel MOS transistor of the series coupling circuit.

As disclosed herein, a level shift circuit includes devices that are responsive to an ESD signal for placing those devices in a specific condition in response to the ESD signal indicating an ESD event. In some embodiments, the devices are transistors in current paths that are placed in a condition such that during an ESD event, voltage differentials in the current paths across voltage domain boundaries do not damage the circuitry of the level shift circuit. In some embodiments, some of the same devices that are responsive to the ESD event are also responsive to a signal to that detects the absence of a power supply voltage of one of the domains and places those devices in a condition to disable the level shift circuit if the power supply voltage is not present.

A bootstrap circuit for increasing the voltage swing of a local oscillator waveform signal. The bootstrap circuit comprises a driver stage for driving at an output thereof a local oscillator waveform signal having an increased voltage swing. The driver stage comprises a first supply voltage node and a second supply voltage node. The bootstrap circuit further comprises at least one energy storage component arranged to store energy within an energy storage element when the voltage level at the input node of the driver stage comprises the second voltage state and use the energy stored within the energy storage element to generate an increased voltage level, and to apply the increased voltage level to the first supply voltage node of the driver stage when the voltage level at the input node of the driver stage comprises the first voltage state.

A level shifter circuitry is provided. The level shifter circuitry includes a first sub-circuit connected to a first power supply voltage, a second sub-circuit connected to a second power supply voltage and a shifting circuit which is connected to the first and second sub-circuits and outputs the first power supply voltage or the second power supply voltage to an output terminal or an inverted output terminal in response to a signal applied to an input node in accordance with an enable signal.