The interoperability of electronic devices is an important consideration for design engineers. Across many applications from automotive advanced driver assistance systems and data centers to industrial automation equipment, modern electronic circuits must support high-speed communication between components.
This means that high-speed logic-level translators, sometimes referred to as voltage translators or level shifters, are essential for modern electronics, enabling communication between components operating at different voltage levels. But with many of today’s solutions failing to keep pace with the latest technical demands, new solutions are needed. And the onsemi Treo Platform and its new level translator product families are intended to meet these technical demands head-on.
The growing need for level translators in modern electronics
In the past, 5 V was commonly used as the standard for CMOS technology and legacy transistor-transistor logic (TTL), making device interfacing in embedded electronics relatively simple. However, modern electronics systems are required to provide more performance at lower power. At the same time, devices are shrinking.
These demands have meant that the process used to fabricate many commonly used types of IC has shrunk from 40 nm to nodes as small as 10 nm and 7 nm, and in parallel, system voltages have dropped to less than 5 V.
A decrease in system voltage contributes to a reduction in power usage by minimizing energy consumption, since in digital ICs, power dissipation is a function of the supply voltage squared. Switching a transistor from a low state of 0 V to a high state of 1.2 V or 1.8 V also consumes less energy than a 0 V to 5 V transition.
Furthermore, lower-voltage components not only produce less heat, easing thermal management, they also make it possible to use smaller transistors. This allows designers to reduce die size or incorporate additional transistors, thus enhancing performance.
Overcoming translation challenges today
Traditional voltage translation often relied on discrete transistors or basic CMOS ICs. However, these established methods are struggling to keep pace with the requirements of modern electronic systems, such as autonomous vehicles, in which real-time and precise translation between low-voltage components such as sensors and control systems is crucial.
Fig. 1: Eliminating the feedback clock in a logic-level translator saves power and space
Modern logic-level translators need to be able to handle the requirements of high-speed protocols for fast, two-way communication across different voltage levels without causing delay or signal impairment. To maintain synchronization in high-speed interfaces such as a serial peripheral interface (SPI) operating at 100 Mbits/s, many level translators on the market use a feedback clock, but this takes up a CPU GPIO and increases power consumption, as shown in Figure 1.
This problem is solved by the new logic-level translators from onsemi. The T30LMXT3V4T245 and T30LMXT3V4T244 level translators are among the first product lines from onsemi to utilize the new Treo Platform, based on 65 nm bipolar-CMOS-DMOS (BCD) semiconductor process technology.
The T30LMXT3V4T245 supports data rates up to 400 Mbits/s, allowing smooth handling of high-speed protocols such as SPI. This guarantees signal integrity through precise voltage-level conversion at high speeds, eliminating the need for a feedback clock and thus simplifying circuit design and lowering power consumption. The speed provided by the latest onsemi level translators also benefits more complex automotive and industrial designs, where there is a growing need to incorporate Gigabit Ethernet capability.
To reach 1 Gbit/s speeds, an RGMII interface is usually needed, sending four bits of data simultaneously at 250 Mbits/s using a 125 MHz clock with double data rate (DDR) signaling. But to support these high-speed signal translations and to handle the different voltage levels between Ethernet physical layers and medium access controllers, it is crucial to have high-performance level translators, shown in Figure 2.
Fig. 2: The T30LMXT3V4T245 from onsemi provides the performance needed by the latest network protocols
An important advantage of the onsemi BCD process, which underpins the Treo Platform, is its exceptional performance at low operating voltages. While many 5 V devices can technically support lower voltages, such as 1.8 V, they often slow down considerably. Similarly, 3.3 V devices will fare better at 1.8 V but lose efficiency at 1.2 V and below.
However, the Treo Platform excels in these low-voltage ranges, delivering fast translation speeds, even at 1.8 V or 1.2 V, making the T30LMXT3V4T245 ideal for high data-rate applications such as Gigabit Ethernet that require low-voltage support without sacrificing speed or reliability.
Ensuring reliable operation
The Treo Platform 65 nm BCD technology means that the T30LMXT3V4T245 can operate at temperatures between -40°C and 125°C. This ensures reliable performance in challenging environments.
The Treo Platform provides efficient power control and reduces parasitic impacts through strategic resistive and capacitive management. Its architecture incorporates advanced isolation techniques for reduced EMI and enhanced durability.
Furthermore, the platform’s low-noise features and precise low-voltage CMOS technology allow for more accurate low-noise switching between logic levels compared to current solutions. This is especially valuable in wider level translations, such as between 1.2 V and 5 V, where there is an increased chance of signal degradation due to noise amplification.
Conclusion
By harnessing groundbreaking onsemi Treo Platform, the T30LMXT3V4T245 and T30LMXT3V4T244 set a new standard in logic translation technology, delivering unparalleled speed, energy efficiency, and thermal durability for electronic systems of the present and the future.
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