Investigating the Impact of Logic and Circuit Implementation on Full Adder Performance

Abstract

This paper presents the design and characterization of 12 full-adder circuits in the IBM 90-nm process. These include three new full-adder circuits using the recently proposed split-path data driven dynamic logic. Based on the logic function realized, the adders were characterized for performance and power consumption when operated under various supply voltages and fan-out loads. The adders were then further deployed in a 32 bit ripple carry adder and 8×4 multiplier to evaluate the impact of sum and carry propagation delays on the performance, power of these systems. Performance characterization of the adder circuits in the presence of process and voltage variations was also performed through Monte Carlo simulations. Besides analyzing and comparing circuit performance, the possible impact of the choice of logic function has also been underlined in this study.