A 2kb built-in row-controlled dynamic voltage scaling near-/sub-threshold FIFO memory for WBANs

Due to the limited energy source, ultra-low power designs are significant approaches in energy-constrained SoCs. In this paper, a 2kb built-in row-controlled dynamic voltage scaling (DVS) FIFO memory is proposed to adopt the operation voltage in the near-/sub-threshold regions for the WBAN (wireless body area network) system. The row-based DVS provides the fine-grained power switch control for each sub-block. Therefore, the switching energy can be reduced, and the switching setup time can be eliminated. Moreover, only one sub-block are operated in the typical mode, and other sub-blocks are operated in the low-power mode and cut-off mode for realizing the power saving. Based on TSMC 65nm technology, the proposed DVS FIFO can achieve 47.8% power saving.