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From: piglet <erichpwagner@hotmail.com>
Newsgroups: sci.electronics.design
Subject: Re: Ultra-Low Power Operation
Date: Sun, 6 Oct 2024 09:25:47 -0000 (UTC)
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Cursitor Doom <cd@notformail.com> wrote:
> Gentlemen,
> 
> I vaguely recall going back the best part of 60 years now, there was a
> competition among radio designers (AM in those days) to come up with
> the design which would operate at the lowest possible supply voltage.
> This had arisen, I would guess, as a result of the 'semiconductor
> revolution' and all these designers would compete to develop a working
> radio using ever more absurd Vcc levels. I'm pretty sure someone
> managed to get something credible together that worked off of just
> over 1 volt but can't be sure after all these years and there's
> nothing I could find on the 'net about such a contest, either. But I
> do remember it, for sure. 
> I'd just be interested to know what can be done with <1V today. Anyone
> know?
> 

Around that time there were published designs using germanium transistor
inverter to step up 250-300mV to a few volts for driving more conventional
items.

Complete radios built from Ge tunnel diodes were done too.

Silicon bipolars are constrained by 0.6/0.7V forward junction voltages but
once started can continue stepping up from much lower voltages. LT made a
boost converter IC that once started continued boosting from 100mV.

Depletion fets let you go much lower, Jan Panteltje has posted his 20mV
booster which lights a LED.


-- 
piglet