Voltage stress tolerant high speed memory driver having flying capacitor circuit

Abstract

Embodiments relate to circuits, electronic design automation (EDA) circuit layouts, systems, methods, and computer readable media to enable logic devices operating on a core supply voltage to drive memory devices operating on a different supply voltage using low power and high data rates while avoiding voltage over-stress of thin-oxide transistors. In an embodiment, channels of a thin-oxide PMOS transistor, a thick-oxide PMOS transistor, a thick-oxide NMOS transistor, and a thin-oxide NMOS transistor are coupled in order from a memory device voltage supply rail to a low voltage supply rail. Gates of the thin-oxide PMOS transistor and the thick-oxide NMOS transistor are coupled with an output of a flying capacitor circuit that level-shifts an input signal by a difference between the memory device supply and core supply voltages, while gates of the thick-oxide PMOS transistor and the thin-oxide NMOS transistor receive the input signal via a buffer.