Enabling Ultra-Low-Power Always-On Feedforward Leakage Suppression Logic Circuits with FDSOI
This work addresses the growing challenge of always-on (AO) domain leakage power, which has become a critical bottleneck for energy efficiency in low-duty-cycle wearable and IoT edge devices. For the first time, the authors implement and experimentally validate Feedforward Leakage Suppression Logic (FLSL) in a 22 nm fully depleted silicon-on-insulator (FDSOI) process, leveraging its superior junction leakage control to replace conventional high-threshold-voltage (HVT) transistor approaches. Measurements demonstrate that FLSL-based implementations of an FIR filter and an AES encryption core achieve 9.8× and 1.83× lower leakage power, respectively, compared to HVT and ultra-high-threshold-voltage (UHVT) CMOS designs, while also enabling operation at reduced supply voltages—thereby significantly enhancing overall energy efficiency.