DC/DC Converter

For synthesizable on-chip power management  circuits, we use the “2:1 SC Cell” auxiliary cell for implementing a switched-capacitor (SC) based DC-DC converter. By varying the number of auxiliary cells, we can achieve wide range of conversion ratios with fine grain resolution. It operates similarly to  a successive approximation analog to digital converter (SAR ADC). Furthermore, since the total structure is simply composed of auxiliary cells, it is ideal for the proposed flow of automating the analog block design.

Below are the targeted user spec ranges for which the SC_GEN tool can output a correct design in TSMC 180nm and TSMC 65nm technology nodes:

DC/DC Converter Input Spec Ranges

Output Voltage0V – 2.8V
Load Current Range0µA – 10mA

IDEA & POSH Integration Exercises – January 2019 Demo

This video shows the generation of a switched cap based converter (SC converter) design using the SC_GEN tool. Based on the user spec input, the design parameters (number of cells and stages) are changed automatically. The final design is then synthesized and placed to generate a completely placed switched cap converter.

Video 1: SC_GEN tool