A bipolar >40-V driver in 45-nm SOI CMOS technology

This paper presents a high-voltage driver in nanometer-scale, low-voltage SOI CMOS technology well beyond the voltage limits of standard devices. The drive level is near the voltage-tolerance limit of the body insulator. A novel, bidirectional, switched-capacitor output stage that combines both voltage-conversion and pulse-drive is introduced. The two-level driver is implemented in 45-nm SOI CMOS technology and uses only process-compliant devices. It achieves a maximum output drive of 44 V and occupies an area of 600 μm × 350 μm. The output drive resistance depends on the pumping frequency and is equal to 36 KΩ at a current consumption of 28 mA drawn from a 1.5-V supply.