A wire-overhead-free reset propagation scheme for millimeter-scale sensor systems

This paper presents a novel reset scheme for mm-scale sensing systems with stringent volume and area constraints. In such systems, multi-layer structure is required to maximize the silicon area per volume and minimize the system size. The multi-layer structure requires wirebonding connections for power delivery and communication among layers, but the area overhead for wirebonding pads can be significant. The proposed reset scheme exploits already existing power wires and thus does not require additional wires for system-wide reset operation. To implement the proposed reset scheme, a power management unit is designed to impose reset condition, and a reset detector is designed to interpret the reset condition indicated by the power wires. The reset detector uses a coupling capacitor for the initial power-up and a feedback path to hold the developed supply voltage. The prototype reset detector is fabricated in a 180-μm CMOS process, and the measurement results with the prototype mm-scale system confirmed robust reset operation over a wide range of temperatures and voltages.