Low-Energy VLSI Circuit Architectures
Abstract
This project has investigated novel circuit architectures for low-energy VLSI systems. Its primary focus has been on charge-recovering (a.k.a. adiabatic) circuits. By steering currents across devices with low voltage drops and by recycling undissipated energy, these circuits can operate more efficiently than their conventional digital counterparts. Early investigations into adiabatic circuits have yielded very complex designs that are impractical for high-speed design. This project has led to the discovery of extremely simple charge-recovering circuits that achieve very high energy efficiency at relatively high operating frequencies. The results of this research have been validated through experimental silicon prototypes. For three of the inventions that came out of this project, the University of Michigan has filed patent applications with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. In addition to charge-recovering circuits, this project also has explored tools and architectures for conventional low-energy CMOS design. The focus has been on design automation tools that can provide quick and accurate estimates of power dissipation from register-transfer level descriptions of programmable digital systems. Low-power signal processing architectures for communication applications also have been explored. A list of journal articles, conference papers, manuscripts, and inventions is included. (6 figures, 37 refs.)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 07, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA429256
Entities
People
- Marios C. Papaefthymiou
Organizations
- University of Michigan