Static characterization of n MOS inverters between liquid helium and room temperatures

DC characterization of n MOS inverters is carried out from liquid helium up to room temperatures. The benefits resulting from the low temperature operation on the performances of the n MOS inverter are studied. In particular, the improvement of the switching gain at low temperature is pointed out. Moreover, the relative noise margin is found to increase significantly at low temperature (≈50K). The possibility to operate the n MOS inverter at low temperature while reducing the supply voltage and in turn the power consumption is emphasized.