Digital Devices

Digital Devices

Implementing logic circuits Shorthand notation Electrical characteristics

Implementing Logic Circuits

There are several varieties of transistors the building blocks of logic gates the most important are:

BJT (bipolar junction transistors) one of the first to be invented. Now largely supplanted by FET (field effect transistors), in particular Metal-oxide semiconductor types (MOSFETs).

MOSFETs are of two types: NMOS and PMOS

TTL and CMOS

Connecting BJTs together gives rise to a family of logic gates known as TTL Connecting NMOS and PMOS transistors together gives rise to the CMOS family of logic gates.
BJT
transistor types

MOSFET (NMOS, PMOS)

TTL

logic gate families

CMOS

Electrical characteristics

TTL

CMOS

faster strong drive capability

lower power consumption simpler to make greater packing density better noise immunity

Complex ics contain many millions of transistors. If constructed entirely from TTL type gates would melt A combination of technologies may be used. CMOS has become most popular and has had greatest development

Electrical characteristics of logic families

Important characteristics are:

VOHmin min value of output recognised as a 1 VIHmin min value input recognised as a 1

logic 1

VILmax max value of input recognised as a 0 VOLmax max value of output recognised as a 0

indeterminate input voltage

Values outside the given range are not allowed.

logic 0

Noise Margin

If noise in the circuit is high enough it can push a logic 0 up or drop a logic 1 down into the illegal region This is the magnitude of the voltage required to reach this level is the noise margin Noise margin for logic high is: NMH = VOHmin VIHmin

Vohmin

logic 1

Vihmin

indeterminate input voltage

Vilmax

logic 0

Volmax

Further Important Characteristics

The propagation delay (tpd) which is the time taken for a change at the input to appear at the output The fanout, which is the maximum number of inputs that can be driven successfully to either logic level before the output becomes invalid

TTL - Example SN74LS00

Recommended operating conditions

5 Volt

Vcc supply voltage input voltages

5V 0.5 V VIH = 2V VIL = 0.8V

Electrical Characteristics

Input Range for 1 2.7 2.0

Output Range for 1

output voltage (worst)

VOH = 2.7V VOL = 0.5V Maximum input currents IIH = 20A IIL = -0.4mA propagation delay tpd = 15 nS noise margins Fan-out for a logic 0 = 0.3V for a logic 1 = 0.7V 20 TTL loads
Input Range for 0

0.8 0.5 0 Volt

Output Range for 0

Electronic Combinational Logic

Within each of these families there is a large variety of different devices

We can break these into groups based on the number gates per device Description Small-scale integration No Gates <12 Example 4 NAND gates

Acronym SSI

MSI
LSI VLSI ULSI

Medium-scale
Large-scale Very large-scale Ultra large scale

12 100
100 1000 1000 1m > 1m

Adder
6800 68000 486/586

For this course we will just look at the first 2: SSI and MSI

SSI Devices

Each package contains a code identifying the package

N74LS00
Manufacturers Code N = National Semiconductors SN = Signetics Specification

Family L LS H

Member 00 = Quad 2 input NAND 02 = Quad 2 input Nor 04 = Hex Invertors 20 = Dual 4 Input NAND

Connections on 74LS00

Show how a single 74LS00 could be used to implement the function

P = A.B+A.C

14 13

12

11

10

Connections on 74LS00

Can be done in three steps: Draw the equivalent circuit Convert to NAND gates only Work out the pin connections

Pin Connections
14 13 12 11 10 9 8

One solution, check it! Inputs

A connects to 1,2 and 13 B connects to 12 C connects to 5 P connects to 8.

Outputs

Pins

11 to 10 3 to 4 6 to 9

MSI Devices

Commonly used functions such as the adder and the BCD-to-seven-segment display are implemented as MSI devices

BCD to SSD

BCD inputs

outputs to segments

Programmable Logic Devices

Programmable devices have their functionality programmed before they are first used. Range in complexity from 100s to 10,000s of logic gates.

PLDs

Commonly use logic gates based on diodes:

Vdd logic 1 eg AND gate

a both at logic 1 b

Ry
y = a.b if either a or b is pulled down to Vss, logic 0, then y is pulled to zero also

More inputs can be made by adding more diodes.

Source: Bebop to the Boolean Boogie, Clive Maxfield, Technology Publishing, ISBN 1-878707-22-1

Exercise

Consider how an OR gate might be implemented:

a

b Ry a and b are at logic ? output y is on upper or lower line Vdd logic 0

Fusible link PLDs

Each diode has an associated link (fuse) The can be blown with a high voltage pulse Thus the arrays of diodes can be programmed (one-time).

PLDs
Inputs

Most of these devices are based on a two level structure (sum of products form).

AND plane

products

OR plane

outputs

In practice this might be represented as:

inputs A B C PLD notation

The

fusible links are made at the xs, otherwise blown.

A.C + B.C

D + A

outputs

Inverted inputs
inputs A B

A.B + A.B = B

A + B

outputs

PLDs

The main types of PLD include:

PLAs (programmable logic arrays) PALs (programmable array logic)

PROMs (programmable read only memory)

PLAs
A
A programmable logic array (PLA) has all links programmable in both AND and OR arrays. Very flexible. Many applications dont require such flexibility

PALs

AND plane programmable OR plane fixed Not so flexible Operate faster because hardwired ORs switch quicker than programmed links.

AA B B

A
F4 F1

1 B 3

2
F5 F8

programmable links

PALs

P = A.notB + notA.B Use gate 1 to implement the 1st product term and gate 2 to implement the second First term blow F2 and F3 Second term blow F5 and F8

AA B B

A
F4 F1

1 B 2
F5 F8

PALs Shorthand Notation

A B CD E

P = A.C.D

PROMs
address

data ROM

AND array is pre-defined OR array is programmable Output of AND plane contains a signal for each of the possible input combinations Memory device where each address applied to inputs returns a programmed value

PROM
A B

address 0 address 1 address 2 address3

programmable OR array

PROMs
Example: The full adder
Cin 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 A 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 B 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 S 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 Cout 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 1
111 110 101 100 011 010 001 000

Cin A B

decoder

sum

Cout

Reprogrammable PLDs

EPROMS are like PROMs except that they can be reused. Ultra-violet light is used to restore the fusible links This is shone through a quartz window on top of the chip Useful for testing and debugging before PROMs are manufactured.

Custom and Semi-custom Integrated Circuits

Custom Chips: where the chips are designed from scratch Very time consuming and expensive (Need to manufacture >105 to be economic) Semi-custom Chips: where most of the design is already done and designer only has to make the final connections

What you should be able to do:

State the principal characteristics of TTL and CMOS logic gate families. Define key terms such as:

fan-out propagation delay noise margin

Describe the key features of the range of PLDs: PLA, PAL, PROM. Convert a (simple) shorthand PAL diagram to a logic expression.