A GaAs 32-bit RISC microprocessor

A GaAs, single-chip, 32-bit RISC (reduced-instruction-set computer) microprocessor has been fabricated and tested fully functional. An instruction execution cycle time of 16.5 ns has been measured giving an operation rate of 60 MIPS (million instructions per second). Power dissipation is 4.7 W. The design is based on GaAs enhancement JFET direct-coupled FET logic (DCFL). Some of the unique design features of the chip include a precharged data bus for fast interregister transfers, a dual port register file memory using complementary GaAs technology, and series-pass gate used in a multiplexer configuration for reduced component count and lower power. Extensive circuit simulation was performed using MDSPICE.<>