NASA SERC 1990 Symposium on VLSI Design

This document contains papers presented at the first annual NASA Symposium on VLSI Design. NASA's involvement in this event demonstrates a need for research and development in high performance computing. High performance computing addresses problems faced by the scientific and industrial communities. High performance computing is needed in: (1) real-time manipulation of large data sets; (2) advanced systems control of spacecraft; (3) digital data transmission, error correction, and image compression; and (4) expert system control of spacecraft. Clearly, a valuable technology in meeting these needs is Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI). This conference addresses the following issues in VLSI design: (1) system architectures; (2) electronics; (3) algorithms; and (4) CAD tools

The 1991 3rd NASA Symposium on VLSI Design

Papers from the symposium are presented from the following sessions: (1) featured presentations 1; (2) very large scale integration (VLSI) circuit design; (3) VLSI architecture 1; (4) featured presentations 2; (5) neural networks; (6) VLSI architectures 2; (7) featured presentations 3; (8) verification 1; (9) analog design; (10) verification 2; (11) design innovations 1; (12) asynchronous design; and (13) design innovations 2

NASA Space Engineering Research Center Symposium on VLSI Design

The NASA Space Engineering Research Center (SERC) is proud to offer, at its second symposium on VLSI design, presentations by an outstanding set of individuals from national laboratories and the electronics industry. These featured speakers share insights into next generation advances that will serve as a basis for future VLSI design. Questions of reliability in the space environment along with new directions in CAD and design are addressed by the featured speakers

Pass-transistor very large scale integration

Logic elements are provided that permit reductions in layout size and avoidance of hazards. Such logic elements may be included in libraries of logic cells. A logical function to be implemented by the logic element is decomposed about logical variables to identify factors corresponding to combinations of the logical variables and their complements. A pass transistor network is provided for implementing the pass network function in accordance with this decomposition. The pass transistor network includes ordered arrangements of pass transistors that correspond to the combinations of variables and complements resulting from the logical decomposition. The logic elements may act as selection circuits and be integrated with memory and buffer elements

A State Assignment Procedure For Asynchronous Sequential Circuits

This paper presents a new procedure for constructing nonuniversal shared-row internal state assignments for asynchronous sequential circuits. The method consists basically of establishing an initial code with the minimum number of variables required to dis. © 1971, IEEE. All rights reserved

State Assignment Selection In Asynchronous Sequential Circuits

Methods already exist for the construction of critical race-free assignments for asynchronous sequential circuits. Some of these methods permit the construction of many assignments for the same flow table. The algorithm presented here consists of two easy to apply tests which select that critical race-free assignment most likely to produce a set of simple next-state equations. The algorithm has been programmed. Copyright © 1970 by The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc

Maximum-Distance Linear Codes

Described here is a linear code that has a maximum distance between codewords of k for a code of order 2k. Since the minimum-maximum distance is k for a code of order 2k, a class of minimum-maximum distance codes results. For an (n,k) linear code, k ≤ n ≤ k + k∣2 for k even and k ≤ n ≤ k + (k - 1)/2 for k odd. Maximum-distance codes are found useful in encoding the states of sequential circuits. © 1971, IEEE. All rights reserved

Diagnosable structured logic array

A diagnosable structured logic array and associated process is provided. A base cell structure is provided comprising a logic unit comprising a plurality of input nodes, a plurality of selection nodes, and an output node, a plurality of switches coupled to the selection nodes, where the switches comprises a plurality of input lines, a selection line and an output line, a memory cell coupled to the output node, and a test address bus and a program control bus coupled to the plurality of input lines and the selection line of the plurality of switches. A state on each of the plurality of input nodes is verifiably loaded and read from the memory cell. A trusted memory block is provided. The associated process is provided for testing and verifying a plurality of truth table inputs of the logic unit

Radiation tolerant back biased CMOS VLSI

A CMOS circuit formed in a semiconductor substrate having improved immunity to total ionizing dose radiation, improved immunity to radiation induced latch up, and improved immunity to a single event upset. The architecture of the present invention can be utilized with the n-well, p-well, or dual-well processes. For example, a preferred embodiment of the present invention is described relative to a p-well process wherein the p-well is formed in an n-type substrate. A network of NMOS transistors is formed in the p-well, and a network of PMOS transistors is formed in the n-type substrate. A contact is electrically coupled to the p-well region and is coupled to first means for independently controlling the voltage in the p-well region. Another contact is electrically coupled to the n-type substrate and is coupled to second means for independently controlling the voltage in the n-type substrate. By controlling the p-well voltage, the effective threshold voltages of the n-channel transistors both drawn and parasitic can be dynamically tuned. Likewise, by controlling the n-type substrate, the effective threshold voltages of the p-channel transistors both drawn and parasitic can also be dynamically tuned. Preferably, by optimizing the threshold voltages of the n-channel and p-channel transistors, the total ionizing dose radiation effect will be neutralized and lower supply voltages can be utilized for the circuit which would result in the circuit requiring less power

Generation Of Design Equations In Asynchronous Sequential Circuits

One step in the synthesis procedure for realizing an asynchronous sequential switching circuit is the generation of next-state and output state equations from a simplified and coded flow table description of the circuit. The usual approach for determining these equations is to first construct a state table from the coded flow table, and then construct transition and output tables. For large flow tables this can be quite a lengthy procedure. This note describes an algorithm which simplifies the synthesis procedure for normal fundamental-mode circuits by permitting the determination of these equations without explicit construction of the state table, transition table, or output table. The algorithm has been programmed in PL/1. Copyright © 1969 by The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc