Sleep Convention Logic using partially slept function blocks

Sleep Convention Logic (SCL) is a self-timed pipeline style that offers inherent power-gating, resulting in ultra-low static power consumption. After each pipeline stage has processed new data, control logic asserts a sleep signal causing the entire pipeline stage to be power-gated until the next data arrives. Due to the aggregate sleep capacitance for each pipeline stage, there is an energy overhead for waking and sleeping the pipeline stages. In this paper, an alternative is presented in which only a portion of each pipeline stage is put to sleep. This reduces the aggregate sleep capacitance for each pipeline stage, resulting in reduced dynamic energy consumption.