Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 3 Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR

Topics

Pseudo-nMOS gates. DCVS gates. Domino gates.

Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 3 Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR

Pseudo-nMOS

Uses a p-type as a resistive pullup, n-type network for pulldowns.

Always on.

a b out

0 0 1

0 1 0

1 0 0

1 1 0

Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 3 Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR

Characteristics

Consumes static power. Has much smaller pullup network than

static gate. Pulldown time is longer because pullup is

fighting.

Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 3 Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR

Output voltages

Logic 1 output is always at VDD.

Logic 0 output is above Vss. VOL = 0.25 (VDD - VSS) is one plausible

choice.

Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 3 Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR

Producing output voltages

For logic 0 output, pullup and pulldown form a voltage divider.

Must choose n, p transistor sizes to create effective resistances of the required ratio.

Effective resistance of pulldown network must be computed in worst case—series n-types means larger transistors.

Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 3 Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR

Transistor ratio calculation

In steady state logic 0 output:– pullup is in linear region,Vds = Vout - (VDD - VSS)

;– pulldown is in saturation.

Pullup and pulldown have same current flowing through them.

Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 3 Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR

Transistor ratio, cont’d.

Equate two currents with pull-down transistor in saturation and pull-up in linear region:– Idp = Idd.

Using 0.5 mm parameters, 3.3V power supply:– Wp/Lp / Wn/Ln = 3.9.

Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 3 Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR

DCVS logic

DCVSL = differential cascode voltage logic. Static logic—consumes no dynamic or static

power. Uses latch to compute output quickly. Requires true/complement inputs, produces

true/complement outputs. The cascode (sometimes verbified to cascoding) is a universal technique for improving

analog circuit performance, applicable to both vacuum tubes and transistors. The word was first used in an article by F.V. Hunt and R.W. Hickman in 1939, in a discussion for application in low-voltage stabilizers. They proposed a cascade of two triodes (first one with common cathode, the second one with common grid) as a replacement of a pentode.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascode

Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 3 Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR

DCVS structure

Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 3 Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR

DCVS operation

Exactly one of true/complement pulldown networks will complete a path to the power supply.

Pulldown network will lower output voltage, turning on other p-type, which also turns off p-type for node which is going down.

Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 3 Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR

DCVS example

Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 3 Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR

Precharged logic

Precharged logic uses stored charge to help evaluation.

Precharge node, selectively discharge it. Take advantage of higher speed of n-types. Requires multiple phases for evaluation.

Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 3 Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR

Domino logic

Uses precharge clock to compute output in two phases:– precharge;– evaluate.

Is not a complete logic family—cannot invert.

Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 3 Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR

Domino gate structure

Domino OR gate

Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 3 Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR

Domino phases

Controlled by clock . Precharge: p-type pullup precharges the

storage node; inverter ensures that output goes low.

Evaluate: storage node may be pulled down, so output goes up.

Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 3 Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR

Domino buffer

Output inverter is needed for two reasons:– make sure that outputs start low, go high so that

domino output can be connected to another domino gate;

– protects storage node from outside influence.

Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 3 Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR

Domino operation

Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 3 Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR

Domino effect

Gate outputs fall in sequence:

gate 1 gate 2 gate 3

Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 3 Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR

Monotonicity

Domino gates inputs must be monotonically increasing: glitch causes storage node to discharge.

Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 3 Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR

Output buffer

Inverting buffer isolates storage node. Storage node and inverter have correlated values.

Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 3 Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR

Using domino logic

Can rewrite logic expression using De Morgan’s Laws:– (a + b)’ = a’b’– (ab)’ = a’ + b’

Add inverters to network inputs/outputs as required.

Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 3 Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR

Domino and stored charge

Charge can be stored in source/drain connections between pulldowns.

Stored charge can be sufficient to affect precharge node.

Can be averted by precharging the internal pulldown network nodes along with the precharge node.

Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 3 Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR

Homework Sets 3-4

Homework Set 3: Problems 2-13,2-19,2,pp. 106-108

Problems 3-1(c), 3.2(d), 3.7, 3.9, 3.12 pp. 179-181

Due, October 16, 2006.

Homework Set 4: Problems 3-15, 3-16, 3.19(b), 3.20(b), p. 182.

Due, October 23, 2006.