Low Temperature Digital Superconducting Electronics
Abstract
Our aim was to further the development of low temperature superconducting digital electronics, to the point where real world applications of this technology were practical. We concentrated on RSFQ (Rapid Single Flux Quantum) logic which should be capable of VLSI circuit operation at 100 Gbps with power of 100 nW per gate, if a semiconductor quality fabrication facility were available. We developed the infrastructure for RSFQ circuits including the first logic level simulator; the first industrial CAD environment; the first yield optimization; the first analysis of timing; the first HDL description. All software tools are available at our widely referenced web site. Our work continually emphasized the central importance of timing considerations for the design of RSFQ circuits, and we present many important results in this available. We developed the theory and performed the definitive experiments at 10 Gbps to understand the bit error rate of RSFQ circuits. Complex demonstration circuits were designed and demonstrated to work at speeds up to 20 Gbps. Finally, we developed a cryogenic electro-optic sampler which is a microvolt, subpicosecond, micron scale, contact free, fully automated system, and used this to perform the direct first observation of an SFQ pulse as well as a variety of other studies.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 15, 1999
- Accession Number
- ADA365201
Entities
People
- Marc J. Feldman
Organizations
- University of Rochester