IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems I Regular Papers

Design of a Compact Superconducting RSFQ Register File

Kuozhong Zhang, Zhimin Zhang, Guang-Ming Tang, Xiaochun Ye

Published Sep 18, 2023• 1 citation

Abstract

In comparison to the widely-used CMOS circuits, superconducting Rapid Single Flux Quantum (RSFQ) circuits offer advantages such as fast operating frequency and low power consumption, making them a potential direction for development in the post-Moore era of digital circuits. However, designing RSFQ CPUs faces challenges, one of which is the need for a compact register file. This is because, under current RSFQ circuit process conditions, the memory module typically occupies a large chip area. This paper proposes a newly-designed Write-controllable Non-Destructive Read Out cell (WNDRO) that can limit the data writing pulse input to change the internal state of the cell. Based on the WNDRO, a compact RSFQ register file is designed that can realize random, non-destructive data reading. Additionally, a global write strategy is applied to omit the data write routing circuit and the reset control module, and the circuit design of the read and write control module is optimized. In comparison to general designs, the proposed compact register file design will save a large number of Josephson Junctions and effectively reduce the chip area. Additionally, this paper proposes several optimization logic designs for RSFQ CPU designers as a reference.

DOI: 10.1109/tcsi.2023.3298768

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