The Transient Response of Damped Linear Networks with Particular Regard to Wideband Amplifiers
TL;DR: It is found possible to define delay time and rise time in such a way that these quantities can be computed very simply from the Laplace system function of the network.
Abstract: When the transient response of a linear network to an applied unit step function consists of a monotonic rise to a final constant value, it is found possible to define delay time and rise time in such a way that these quantities can be computed very simply from the Laplace system function of the network. The usefulness of the new definitions is illustrated by applications to low pass, multi‐stage wideband amplifiers for which a number of general theorems are proved. In addition, an investigation of a certain class of two‐terminal interstage networks is made in an endeavor to find the network giving the highest possible gain—rise time quotient consistent with a monotonic transient response to a step function.
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TL;DR: Asymptotic waveform evaluation (AWE) provides a generalized approach to linear RLC circuit response approximations and reduces to the RC tree methods.
Abstract: Asymptotic waveform evaluation (AWE) provides a generalized approach to linear RLC circuit response approximations. The RLC interconnect model may contain floating capacitors, grounded resistors, inductors, and even linear controlled sources. The transient portion of the response is approximated by matching the initial boundary conditions and the first 2q-1 moments of the exact response to a lower-order q-pole model. For the case of an RC tree model, a first-order AWE approximation reduces to the RC tree methods. >
1,800 citations
TL;DR: Upper and lower bounds for delay that are computationally simple are presented in this paper and can be used to bound the delay, given the signal threshold, and to certify that a circuit is "fast enough," given both the maximum delay and the voltage threshold.
Abstract: In MOS integrated circuits, signals may propagate between stages with fanout. The exact calculation of signal delay through such networks is difficult. However, upper and lower bounds for delay that are computationally simple are presented in this paper. The results can be used 1) to bound the delay, given the signal threshold, or 2) to bound the signal voltage, given a delay time, or 3) certify that a circuit is "fast enough," given both the maximum delay and the voltage threshold.
857 citations
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TL;DR: Cache memories are a general solution to improving the performance of a memory system by placing smaller faster memories in front of larger, slower, and cheaper memories to approach that of a perfect memory system—at a reasonable cost.
Abstract: A computer’s memory system is the repository for all the information the computer’s central processing unit (CPU, or processor) uses and produces. A perfect memory system is one that can supply immediately any datum that the CPU requests. This ideal memory is not practically implementable, however, as the three factors of memory capacity, speed, and cost are directly in opposition. By placing smaller faster memories in front of larger, slower, and cheaper memories, the performance of the memory system may approach that of a perfect memory system—at a reasonable cost. The memory hierarchies of modern general-purpose computers generally contain registers at the top, followed by one or more levels of cache memory, main memory (all three are semiconductor memory), and virtual memory (on a magnetic or optical disk). Figure 1 shows a memory hierarchy typical of today’s (1995) commodity systems. Performance of a memory system is measured in terms of latency and bandwidth. The latency of a memory request is how long it takes the memory system to produce the result of the request. The bandwidth of a memory system is the rate at which the memory system can accept requests and produce results. The memory hierarchy improves average latency by quickly returning results that are found in the higher levels of the hierarchy. The memory hierarchy usually reduces bandwidth requirements by intercepting a fraction of the memory requests at higher levels of the hierarchy. Some machines, such as high-performance vector machines, may have fewer levels in the hierarchy—increasing cost for better predictability and performance. Some of these machines contain no caches at all, relying on large arrays of main memory banks to supply very high bandwidth. Pipelined accesses of operands reduce the performance impact of long latencies in these machines. Cache memories are a general solution to improving the performance of a memory system. Although caches are smaller than typical main memory sizes, they ideally contain the most frequently accessed portions of main memory. By keeping the most heavily used data near the CPU, caches can service a large fraction of the requests without needing to access main memory (the fraction serviced is called the hit rate). Caches require locality of reference to work well transparently—they assume that accessed memory words will be accessed again quickly (temporal locality) and that memory words adjacent to an accessed word will be accessed soon after the access in question (spatial locality). When the CPU issues a request for a datum not in the cache (a cache miss), the cache loads that datum and some number of adjacent data (a cache block) into itself from main memory. To reduce cache misses, some caches are associative—a cache may place a given block in one of several places, collectively called a set. This set is content-addressable; a block may be accessed based on an address tag, one of which is coupled with each block. When a new block is brought into a set and the set is full, the cache’s replacement policy dictates which of the old blocks should be removed from the cache to make room for the new. Most caches use an approximation of least recently used
702 citations
01 May 2001
TL;DR: In this review paper various high-speed interconnect effects are briefly discussed, recent advances in transmission line macromodeling techniques are presented, and simulation of high- speed interconnects using model-reduction-based algorithms is discussed in detail.
Abstract: With the rapid developments in very large-scale integration (VLSI) technology, design and computer-aided design (CAD) techniques, at both the chip and package level, the operating frequencies are fast reaching the vicinity of gigahertz and switching times are getting to the subnanosecond levels. The ever increasing quest for high-speed applications is placing higher demands on interconnect performance and highlighted the previously negligible effects of interconnects such as ringing, signal delay, distortion, reflections, and crosstalk. In this review paper various high-speed interconnect effects are briefly discussed. In addition, recent advances in transmission line macromodeling techniques are presented. Also, simulation of high-speed interconnects using model-reduction-based algorithms is discussed in detail.
645 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a closed-form formula for a waveform of the RC interconnection line with practical boundary conditions is derived, and the optimum linewidth that minimizes RC delay and the trend of RC delay in the scaled-down VLSIs are discussed.
Abstract: A closed-form formula for a waveform of the RC interconnection line with practical boundary conditions is derived. Expressions are also derived for the voltage slope and transition time of the RC interconnection and for coupling capacitance and crosstalk voltage height, which can be used in VLSI designs. Using the expressions, the optimum linewidth that minimizes RC delay and the trend of RC delay in the scaled-down VLSIs are discussed. >
602 citations
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181 citations