A 12-ps-resolution digital variable-delay macro cell on GaAs 100K-gates gate array using a meshed air bridge structure

摘要

A digital variable-delay macro cell (DVDM) on a GaAs 100 K-gatesngate array has been developed for measurement instruments and fornelimination of clock skew on printed circuit boards. Three newntechnologies for high resolution are introduced into the DVDM: (1) anmeshed air bridge structure bringing 29% reduction of propagation delay,n(2) a rising edge selector circuit creating 33% decrement of standardndeviation Σ on delay, and (3) a delay circuit with a dischargencontrol path for a high resolution of 12 ps. The DVDM produces 24.4 nsnspan and 12 ps resolution, about one-quarter that of a conventionalnDVDM. Linearity error is less than ±27 ps. Power dissipation ofnthe DVDM is 250 mW/cell, about one-third of the value for a conventionalnSi bipolar junction transistor analog delay circuit