Error-Tolerant SRAM Design for Ultra-Low Power Standby Operation

We present an error-tolerant SRAM design optimized for ultra-low standby power. Using SRAM cell optimization techniques, the maximum data retention voltage (DRV) of a 90 nm 26 kb SRAM module is reduced from 550 mV to 220 mV. A novel error-tolerant architecture further reduces the minimum static-error-free VDD to 155 mV. With a 100 mV noise margin, a 255 mV standby VDD effectively reduces the SRAM leakage power by 98% compared to the typical standby at 1 V VDD.