Output transition time modeling of CMOS structures

Non zero signal rise and fall times contribute significantly to CMOS gate performances such as propagation delay or short circuit power dissipation. We present a closed form expression to model output rise and fall times in deep submicron CMOS structures. The model is first developed for inverters considering fast and slow input ramp conditions. It is then extended to gates through a reduction procedure considering the maximum current available in the serial transistor array. Validation of this modeling is obtained by comparing calculated gate output transition time to simulated ones (HSPICE level and foundry card model on 0.18μm process).