Control signalling for asynchronous differential bipolar design (ACS,CC)
L. E. M. Brackenbury

The AMULET group within the Department is investigating asynchronous design methodologies. One of the projects undertaken by the group has been the design and implemention of an asynchronous datapath on high speed (differential bipolar) technology using the Sutherland 'Micropipelines' approach [1] with its two-phase timing for control. The AMULET1 CMOS design used two-phase timing for control while its successor, AMULET2, uses four-phase timing which is believed to give a superior performance for CMOS designs. The aim of this project is to compare the two-phase signalling approach with a four-phase timing protocol for differential bipolar technology, in order to determine which protocol is most suited to this technology.

Reference: I.E. Sutherland, Comm of the ACM, Vol. 32, No. 6, p720, 1989