R69-24 Universal Logic Circuits and Their Modular Realizations

The integrated circuit technology is still in the process of growth and evolution. The full impact of this technology on future logical design methods is yet to come. At this point one can only wonder whether the future digital circuits will be designed in the form of strictly cellular arrays or in the form of IC circuit packages of standard "cell types" with customized metallization interconnection, or a hybrid combination of these together with cellular or noncellular "programmable logic arrays." Whatever might be the form, it seems rather certain that a basic problem common to all these approaches is the problem of designing complex logical building blocks. These blocks become the basic cells of the cellular arrays, the basic "functional units" for the customized interconnection schemes, and determine the terminal control signal sets in the programmable logic arrays. Yau and Tang have addressed themselves to this important problem without specifically stating these motivations in their paper.