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IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity

Design and Implementation of a Single Flux Quantum Logic-Based Memory Controller for Josephson-CMOS Hybrid Memory Systems

Seda Demirhan, Ali Bozbey

Published Jul 28, 2020• 5 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Single flux quantum (SFQ) digital circuits have shown the potential for high speed/low power computation applications. Unfortunately, because of the low integration density and low driving capability of SFQ circuits, realizing large-scale memories by using only SFQ circuits is still a challenge. Josephson-CMOS hybrid memory, hybridizing high-speed, low power SFQ circuits, and high-density CMOS memories is already proposed as a solution to the large-scale memory problem in RSFQ digital systems. In this article, an SFQ-based memory controller which works up to 10 GHz clock frequencies is designed for Josephson-CMOS hybrid memory systems. The memory controller acts as a SFQ/CMOS interface between the SFQ circuit and SRAM module and generates the required waveforms for SRAM read and write operations. The circuit which has 4-b data and 2-b address lines is fabricated with AIST 2.5 kA/cm2STP2 process and operations of the circuits are verified. To demonstrate the scalability of the circuit, memory controller was scaled to 8-b data and 13-b address to control of the 64kb SRAM. Operations of the scaled memory controller are verified with analog simulations. Scaled circuit consumes 0.76 mW power in an area of 1.64 mm × 1.60 mm.

DOI
10.1109/tasc.2020.3012382

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Single flux quantum (SFQ) digital circuits have shown the potential for high speed/low power computation applications. Unfortunately, because of the low integration density and low driving capability of SFQ circuits, realizing large-scale memories by using only SFQ circuits is still a challenge. Josephson-CMOS hybrid memory, hybridizing high-speed, low power SFQ circuits, and high-density CMOS memories is already proposed as a solution to the large-scale memory problem in RSFQ digital systems. In this article, an SFQ-based memory controller which works up to 10 GHz clock frequencies is designed for Josephson-CMOS hybrid memory systems. The memory controller acts as a SFQ/CMOS interface between the SFQ circuit and SRAM module and generates the required waveforms for SRAM read and write operations. The circuit which has 4-b data and 2-b address lines is fabricated with AIST 2.5 kA/cm2STP2 process and operations of the circuits are verified. To demonstrate the scalability of the circuit, memory controller was scaled to 8-b data and 13-b address to control of the 64kb SRAM. Operations of the scaled memory controller are verified with analog simulations. Scaled circuit consumes 0.76 mW power in an area of 1.64 mm × 1.60 mm.
We have been developing Josephson-CMOS hybrid memory to realize large-scale single-flux-quantum (SFQ) digital systems. In this article, we present the first demonstration of a Josephson-cryo complementary-metal-oxide-semicoductor (CMOS) memory hybrid system composed of an SFQ microprocessor and cryo-CMOS memory. We designed a single-instruction SFQ microprocessor whose data memory is implemented using Josephson-CMOS hybrid memory with a 16 × 4-b accessible address space. The Josephson and CMOS circuits were fabricated using the AIST Nb standard process and the Rohm 180-nm process, respectively. Low-frequency tests confirmed the correct operation of the single instruction SUBNEG (subtract and branch if negative), which verifies the read and write operations of data between the SFQ microprocessor and the hybrid memory. We also demonstrate the operation of an integer sorting program, which is composed of 16 SUBNEG instructions.
Abstract : Lack of high-density, fast and memory has been a long-standing problem in superconducting digital electronics. Alternative Josephson-junction-based memory cells and peripheral circuits have intrinsic problems which impede the application of that kind of memory. The CMOS-Josephson hybrid memory idea was proposed in 1992 to circumvent this problem. In the present work we have designed and demonstrated a 64-kb CMOS-Josephson hybrid memory working at 1 GHz. In order to make the hybrid idea practical, a complete and comprehensive 4 K short-channel CMOS model for digital circuits was developed for this dissertation. It has been used in the design of the memory core and peripheral circuits. A fast hybrid interface circuit that transforms single-flux-quantum millivolt 2-ps pulse signals to CMOS volt-level signals has been studied and the optimized design has been completed. Using a nonvolatile cryogenic 3-T DRAM cell, the memory core is designed in such a way that the access time is much less than for room-temperature operation, not only because of the performance upgrade due to the temperature decrease but also because of a different reading mechanism. Fabricated by commercial submicron CMOS processes (0.25 microns and 0.18 microns) and a Nb/AlOx/Nb Josephson-junction process with 2.5 kA/cm2 tunneling current density, the memory chips were bonded together by direct wire-bonding and by flip-chip bump-bonding and tested at low frequencies, high frequencies, respectively. A subnanosecond access time is obtained both from simulations and experiments. The power for an interface circuit is measured to be 0.6 mW. The memory core consumes even less power. The total power consumption depends on the operation mode of the memory and is calculated to be 10 mW for reading and 28 mW for writing. Simulations also indicate that, with more advanced semiconductor and superconductor technologies, larger and faster hybrid memories are expected to be achievable in the future.
In this study, we aimed to achieve high-speed readout operations of Josephson–CMOS hybrid memory. We first experimentally evaluated the timing margin in the readout operations of the hybrid memory. In single-channel bit line measurements, we confirmed that the hybrid memory could work at a 1-GHz memory clock frequency with a timing margin as high as 0.63 ns. Subsequently, we designed and measured a Josephson–CMOS hybrid accumulator circuit to demonstrate high-speed read operations of the hybrid memory. The core design of the Josephson–CMOS hybrid memory follows our previous design. We introduced a sequential-access read-only CMOS memory and a single-flux-quantum accumulator into a test circuit, enabling high-speed measurement of Josephson–CMOS hybrid memory with only two high-speed external inputs. We designed and fabricated a test circuit using the Rohm 180-nm CMOS process and the AIST-ADP2 Josephson process. In the measurement, we achieved correct operation of the test circuit, including the readout operation of the 32-b hybrid memory at a memory clock frequency as high as 1.2 GHz, corresponding to a 38.4-Gb/s readout.
Single flux quantum (SFQ) electronics is extremely fast and has very low on-chip power dissipation. SFQ VLSI is an excellent candidate for high-performance computing and other applications requiring extremely high-speed signal processing. Despite this, SFQ technology has generally not been accepted for system implementation. We argue that this is due, at least in part, to the use of outdated tools to produce SFQ circuits and chips. Assuming the use of tools equivalent to those employed in the semiconductor industry, we estimate the density of Josephson junctions, circuit speed, and power dissipation that could be achieved with SFQ technology. Today, CMOS lithography is at 90?65?nm with about 20 layers. Assuming equivalent technology, aggressively increasing the current density above 100?kA?cm?2 to achieve junction speeds approximately 1000?GHz, and reducing device footprints by converting device profiles from planar to vertical, one could expect to integrate about 250?M Josephson junctions cm?2 into SFQ digital circuits. This should enable circuit operation with clock frequencies above 200?GHz and place approximately 20?K gates within a radius of one clock period. As a result, complete microprocessors, including integrated memory registers, could be fabricated on a single chip.
Superconducting digital technology based on Rapid Single Flux Quantum logic (RSFQ) is a digital technology characterized by high speed, low power consumption and low operational temperatures. RSFQ is attractive for many applications and in particular for high frequency Digital Signal Processing (DSP) and for digital control of mK devices like superconducting qubits. Due to the 30 GHz clock speed, RSFQ DSP could be used to implement a Successive Interference Canceller for multi-user detection in a 3G wireless systems. The being developed DSP consists of a digital core, an RSFQ Multiply Accumulate unit (MAC), RSFQ fast cache memory and external semiconductor memory.The first part of this thesis is focusing on architecture and implementation of the hierarchical CMOS-RSFQ hybrid memory for the RSFQ DSP. The architecture ofthe RSFQ cache is optimized in order to reach the highest speed and reliable data communication with CMOS memory. Aspects of block synchronization betweenthe RSFQ cache and the RSFQ digital core are discussed and solved using a new developed RSFQ gate, C3. For design of different components of the DSP, a designapproach based on validated VHDL models is proposed and experimentally verified.The second part of this thesis is focusing on the design oflow-dissipative RSFQ circuits for interface to the superconducting qubits. Power dissipation ofRSFQ circuits is minimized. A low-temperature thermal model of resistively shunted Josephsonjunctions is developed and applied to optimize the shape of the shunt resistors in order to reduce their electron temperature. Depending on the available fabricationprocess the lowest noise temperature of RSFQ circuit can be in the range from 90 mK to 180 mK.
Abstract The use of high-frequency input signals from room-temperature microwave sources makes it difficult to scale up the number of quantum bits in universal quantum computers. To address this issue, superconducting single flux quantum (SFQ) integrated circuits are being explored as suitable candidates for qubit manipulation in universal quantum computers. This paper deals with a scalable SFQ qubit control circuit (SQCC) structure that requires only low-frequency input. The circuit mainly consists of a pulse generator and a counter, that output the SFQ pulse train with adjustable frequency and a controllable number of pulses, which is applicable to control single-qubit Clifford operations. The design of low-voltage rapid single flux quantum (LV-RSFQ) and energy-efficient rapid single flux quantum (ERSFQ) for the SQCC achieves low power consumption and provides a basis for scaling up SQCC to control more qubits. The proposed circuits are fabricated under the SIMIT-Nb03 process and successfully pass test verification. The achieved test results reveal that the adjustable output frequency ranges of the SQCC based on the LV-RSFQ and ERSFQ designs in order are [2.40, 8.11] GHz and [4.81, 5.14] GHz. In the operating frequency range, the circuit is able to generate the correct number of SFQ pulses under control. The controllable number range is from 1 to 128. When the circuits operate at 5 GHz, the total power consumptions of the above circuits in order are 23.88 μW and 6.2 μW. All input signals are low-frequency signals, which frees the control of large-scale qubits from limitations caused by high-frequency inputs produced by room-temperature microwave sources.