±0.25 V Class-AB CMOS capacitance multiplier and precision rectifiers

Reduction of minimum supply requirements is a crucial aspect to decrease the power consumption in VLSI systems. A high performance capacitance multiplier able to operate with supplies as low as ±0.25 V is presented. It is based on adaptively biased class-AB current mirrors which provide high current efficiency. Measurement results of a factor 11 capacitance multiplier fabricated in 180 nm CMOS technology verify theoretical claims. Moreover, low-voltage precision rectifiers based on the same class-AB current mirrors are designed and fabricated in the same CMOS process. They generate output currents over 100 times larger than the quiescent current. Both proposed circuits have 300 nW static power dissipation when operating with ±0.25 V supplies.