Current Behavior on Process Variability Aware FinFET Inverter Designs

The two main advancements which enabled the wide adoption of ICs (Integrated Circuits) for mobile applications are the scaling of technology nodes and battery density. Although, given that such improvements are not short of challenges, one of the main concerns for the bleeding-edge semiconductor industry is the impact of process variability upon the devices characteristics. This paper presents an investigation of the relationship between transistor sizing, supply voltage, and process variability level into the current behavior of inverter circuits, trying to indicate the possibility to replace traditional inverters for more robust alternatives. Results show that robustness enhancing inverters can bring up to 44.45% and 6.26% decrease in dynamic and static current normalized deviations, respectively.