STATIC CHARACTERIZATION OF N-MOS INVERTERS BETWEEN LIQUID-HELIUM AND ROOM TEMPERATURES

DC characterization of n MOS inverters is carried out from liquid heli um up to room temperatures. The benefits resulting from the low temper ature operation on the performances of the n MOS inverter are studied. In particular, the improvement of the switching gain at low temperatu re is pointed out. Moreover, the relative noise margin is found to inc rease significantly at low temperature (almost-equal-to 50 K). The pos sibility to operate the n MOS inverter at low temperature while reduci ng the supply voltage and in turn the power consumption is emphasized.