Title :
Redressing timing issues for speed-independent circuits in deep submicron age
Author :
Li, Yu ; Mak, Terrence ; Yakovlev, Alex
Author_Institution :
Sch. of EECE, Newcastle Univ., Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK
Abstract :
The class of speed independent (SI) circuits opens a promising way towards tolerating process variations. However, the fundamental assumption of speed independent circuit is that forks in some wires (usually, large percentage of wires) in such circuits are isochronic; this assumption is more and more challenged by the shrinking technology. This paper suggests a method to generate the weakest timing constraints for a SI circuit to work correctly under bounded delays in wires. The method works for all SI circuits and the generated timing constraints are significantly weaker than those suggested in the current literature claiming the weakest formally proved conditions.
Keywords :
delay circuits; timing circuits; wires (electric); bounded delays; circuit wires; deep submicron age; isochronic circuit; shrinking technology; speed independent circuit; speed-independent circuits; timing constraints; tolerating process variations; Delay; Hazards; Integrated circuit modeling; Logic gates; Silicon; Wires;
Conference_Titel :
Design, Automation & Test in Europe Conference & Exhibition (DATE), 2011
Conference_Location :
Grenoble
Print_ISBN :
978-1-61284-208-0
DOI :
10.1109/DATE.2011.5763222