A low-power 0.5V regulator with settling enhancement for wireless sensor nodes

Abstract

This paper presents a low-power voltage regulator for wireless sensor nodes. The circuit, implemented in a 90 nm CMOS process, generates a process-temperature-voltage independent 0.5 V while only consuming 26 nA. The output voltage variation is within 27 mV when power supply changes from 1 to 2 V and can provide a 15 μA load current. A fast settling technique is employed to improve the startup response without increasing design complexity. Keywords-regulator, wireless sensor network, power managementI.