GaAs high-speed digital IC technology: An overview
Gallium arsenide integrated circuit technology has advanced to the stage where small-scale integration (SSI) and medium-scale integration (MSI) circuits are available for implementation in high-speed digital systems. The recent availability of GaAs wafer foundries for fabrication of custom designs, along with commercially available GaAs components, allows system designers for the first time to take advantage of the inherent high speed and low power capabilities of the technology. Large-scale integration (LSI) complexity circuits are already being fabricated in the United States and abroad, and higher levels of integration are expected. This will result in improved levels of performance for large digital systems. The advantages of higher levels of integration are clearly evident, although there appears to be an optimum level of integration for each GaAs logic family beyond which system speed actually degrades. In conjunction with the development of GaAs technology, an industry-standard GaAs production process is also evolving. This generic process is available (with minor variations) from most of the GaAs wafer foundries and IC manufacturers. Here the authors review digital GaAs IC device and circuit technology and analyze the performance of GaAs circuits fabricated by this production process. They also analyze the effect of the GaAs IC integration level on computer system speed.
- Research Organization:
- Research Labs., Malibu, CA 90265
- OSTI ID:
- 5100149
- Journal Information:
- Computer; (United States), Journal Name: Computer; (United States) Vol. 19:1; ISSN CPTRB
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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ARSENIC COMPOUNDS
ARSENIDES
CIRCUIT THEORY
COMPUTERS
DESIGN
DIGITAL COMPUTERS
ELECTRONIC CIRCUITS
FABRICATION
GALLIUM ARSENIDES
GALLIUM COMPOUNDS
INTEGRATED CIRCUITS
MATERIALS TESTING
MICROELECTRONIC CIRCUITS
NORTH AMERICA
PERFORMANCE
PNICTIDES
SUPERCOMPUTERS
TESTING
USA