A 53-µA-Quiescent 400-mA Load Demultiplexer Based CMOS Multi-Voltage Domain Low Dropout Regulator for RF Energy...

Area of Science:

• Integrated Circuit Design
• Low-Power Electronics
• Power Management

Background:

• Efficient power management is crucial for modern electronics, especially for battery-operated devices and sensor nodes.
• Traditional low-dropout regulators (LDOs) can be inefficient when dealing with multiple voltage domains.
• The integration of RF energy harvesting necessitates highly efficient power regulation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel capacitorless demultiplexer-based multi-voltage domain low-dropout regulator (MVD-LDO).
• To achieve high current efficiency and low power consumption for multi-voltage applications.
• To demonstrate the suitability of the MVD-LDO for integration with RF energy harvesters for sensor nodes.

Main Methods:

• Design and fabrication of an MVD-LDO using 180 nm CMOS technology.
• Integration of a low-power demultiplexer controller for managing multiple voltage outputs.
• Characterization of the MVD-LDO's performance, including voltage regulation, current efficiency, and power consumption.

Main Results:

• The MVD-LDO operates with a 1.5 V supply headroom, regulating outputs from 0.8 V to 1.4 V.
• Achieved a high current efficiency of 99.98% with a quiescent current of 53 µA.
• Demonstrated excellent line and load regulation across different output voltage domains.
• Low standby power consumption of 174.5 µW.

Conclusions:

• The proposed capacitorless MVD-LDO offers a highly efficient and low-power solution for multi-voltage domain applications.
• The integrated demultiplexer controller significantly reduces power consumption.
• The MVD-LDO is well-suited for integration with RF energy harvesting systems to power autonomous sensor nodes.