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  • It turns out we can say a bit more

  • about the timing of output transitions

  • for CMOS logic gates.

  • Let's start by considering the behavior of a non-CMOS

  • combinational device that implements the NOR function.

  • Looking at the waveform diagram, we

  • see that initially the A and B inputs are both 0,

  • and the output Z is 1, just as specified by the truth table.

  • Now B makes a 0-to-1 transition and the Z output

  • will eventually reflect that change

  • by making a 1-to-0 transition.

  • As we learned in the previous video,

  • the timing of the Z transition is

  • determined by the contamination and propagation

  • delays of the NOR gate.

  • Note that we can't say anything about the value of the Z output

  • in the interval of t_CD to t_PD after the input transition,

  • which we indicate with a red shaded region on the waveform

  • diagram.

  • Now, let's consider a different set up,

  • where initially both A and B are 1, and, appropriately,

  • the output Z is 0.

  • Examining the truth table we see that if A is 1,

  • the output Z will be 0 regardless of the value of B.

  • So what happens when B makes a 1-to-0 transition?

  • Before the transition, Z was 0 and we

  • expect it to be 0 again, t_PD after the B transition.

  • But, in general, we can't assume anything about the value of Z

  • in the interval between t_CD and t_PD.

  • Z could have any behavior it wants in

  • that interval and the device would still

  • be a legitimate combinational device.

  • Many gate technologies, e.g., CMOS, adhere

  • to even tighter restrictions.

  • Let's look in detail at the switch configuration in a CMOS

  • implementation of a NOR gate when both inputs are a digital

  • 1.

  • A high gate voltage will turn on NFET switches (as indicated

  • by the red arrows) and turn off PFET switches (as indicated

  • by the redXs”).

  • Since the pullup circuit is not conducting

  • and the pulldown circuit is conducting,

  • the output Z is connected to GROUND, the voltage

  • for a digital 0 output.

  • Now, what happens when the B input transitions from 1 to 0?

  • The switches controlled by B change their configuration:

  • the PFET switch is now on and the NFET switch is now off.

  • But overall the pullup circuit is still not conducting

  • and there is still a pulldown path from Z to GROUND.

  • So while there used to be two paths from Z to GROUND

  • and there is now only one path, Z has been connected to GROUND

  • the whole time and its value has remained valid and stable

  • throughout B's transition.

  • In the case of a CMOS NOR gate, when one input is a digital 1,

  • the output will be unaffected by transitions on the other input.

  • A lenient combinational device is

  • one that exhibits this behavior, namely

  • that the output is guaranteed to be be valid

  • when any combination of inputs sufficient to determine

  • the output value has been valid for at least t_PD.

  • When some of the inputs are in a configuration that

  • triggers this lenient behavior, transitions on the other inputs

  • will have no effect on the validity of the output value.

  • Happily most CMOS implementations of logic gates

  • are naturally lenient.

  • We can extend our truth-table notation to indicate lenient

  • behavior by using “X” for the input values on certain rows

  • to indicate that input value is irrelevant when determining

  • the correct output value.

  • The truth table for a lenient NOR gate

  • calls out two such situations: when A is 1, the value of B

  • is irrelevant, and when B is 1, the value of A is irrelevant.

  • Transitions on the irrelevant inputs don't trigger the t_CD

  • and t_PD output timing normally associated with an input

  • transition.

  • When does lenience matter?

  • We'll need lenient components when building memory

  • components, a topic we'll get to in a couple of chapters.

  • You're ready to try building some CMOS gates of your own!

  • Take a look at the first lab exercise in Assignment 2.

  • I think you'll find it fun to work on!

It turns out we can say a bit more

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