International Business Machines Corporation

Yogi K Puri

Raymond A Schulz

Ziba T Dearden

Keith M Selbo

Prem Puri

A BiCMOS NAND circuit is disclosed employing low threshold n-channel FET transistors in conjunction with standard threshold n-channel FET transistors and standard threshold p-channel FET transistors. Circuit performance is maintained as the circuit devices are scaled to physically smaller FET devices and reduced power supply voltage. Furthermore, the circuit is interface compatible with standard CMOS circuits.

Low threshold BiCMOS circuit

A testing technique is disclosed for assuring AC performance of high speed random logic, employing a low speed tester. AC testing on a low speed tester is split into multiple phases. During the first phase, a slack time delta is introduced, which is the time difference between the product cycle time required by the application and the tester cycle time used in the product test. The product is tested with this timing using conventionally generated test patterns. The effect of the slack is then resolved in the subsequent phases of the test. The product is tested again with the same type test patterns as in the first phase, but with redefined strobe times at the staging latches in the circuit. The slack delta is transferred to paths between the consecutive staging latches and the resultant signals arrive and get sampled by the low speed tester as if there were no slack. The principle of the invention can be applied to any logic circuit to be tested, which has two or more staging latches or to logic circuits which have a plurality of N combinatorial logic blocks each separated by respective staging latches from the others.

Testing method for assuring AC performance of high performance random

An FET transmission logic parity circuit is disclosed which determines the odd or even status of register bits using zero DC current transmission logic. The circuit has a first two FET devices which propagate the state of the preceding odd or even nodes and the corresponding register bit is logically a zero. A second pair of FET devices switch the state of the odd or even nodes when the corresponding register bit is logically a one. In this manner, the output nodes are statically conditioned to either a first potential or a second potential, depending upon the register bit states and no DC current flows between the first and second potential.

Transmission logic parity circuit

An FET driver circuit is disclosed which provides short circuit protection at the output node without reducing its performance. Grounded short circuit protection is achieved by sharing a load resistance at the output node in two parallel components, a low resistance active FET load and a high resistance active FET load. A delay element is inserted between the data input node and the gate for the low resistance active FET load. When the data input is low, both of the active FET load devices are off and the active logical FET device is on causing a low output value for the circuit. When the data input for the circuit goes high, the output capacitance is initially charged by the high resistance FET load device and is followed after a short delay, by charging through the low resistance FET load device. The low resistance FET load device cuts off current flow automatically after a predetermined period of time transpires. This delay duration is designed to be equal to or greater than the desired output rise time for the circuit, and less than the time required to destroy the low resistance device if it were to have its output terminal grounded. Thus, if the output of the circuit is accidentally shorted to ground, the circuit is protected because the brief on-time of the low resistance device limits power dissipation below destructive levels, and because the short circuit current in the high resistance device is of insufficient magnitude to cause problems.

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Vienna, VA, United States of America

Yogi K Puri