In this paper, a general theory on multiple-valued static random-access-memory (RAM) is investigated. A criterion for a stable and an unstable modes is proved with a strict mathematical method and expressed with a diagrammatic representation. Based on the theory, an NMOS 6-transistor ternary and a quaternary static RAM (SRAM) cells are proposed and simulated with PSPICE. The detail circuit design and realization are analyzed. A 10-valued CMOS current-mode static RAM cell is also presented and fabricated with standard 5-µm CMOS technology. A family of multiple-valued flip-flops is presented and they show to have desirable properties for use in multiple-valued sequential circuits. Both PSPICE simulations and experiments indicate that the general theory presented are very useful and effective tools in the optimum design and circuit realization of multiple-valued static RAMs and flip-flops.

We examine the characteristics of the past successful m-valued I2L and ROMs that have been designed and we discuss the reasons of their success and withdraw. We look at the problems associated with scaling of m-valued CMOS current mode circuits. Then we discuss the tolerance issue, the respective propagation delays of binary and m-valued ICs and the interconnection issue. We conclude with the challenges for m-valued circuits in the competition with the exponential performance increase of binary circuits.

This paper theoretically evaluates the external electro-optic (EO) sampling of high-speed electrical signals using poled polymers as materials for a proximity electric-field sensor. Based on the derivation of the half-wave voltage and the analysis of a static electric field coupled to the polymeric media placed over IC interconnections, invasiveness, voltage sensitivity, and spatial resolution have been discussed. The polymeric sensors have shown to be used in contact with the IC interconnections with negligibly small invasiveness, thus making polymeric sensors provide higher sensitivity and spatial resolution than inorganic crystals such as GaAs and KD*P.

This paper describes design considerations for high frequency active BPFs up to 100 MHz. The major design issues for high frequency active filters are the excess phase shift in the integrators and high power consumption of the integrators. Typical bipolar transistor based transconductors such as the Gilbert gain cell and the linearized transconductor with two asymmetric emitter-coupled pairs have been analyzed and compared. It has been clarified that the power consumption of the linearized transconductor can be much smaller than that of the Gilbert gain cell because of its high transconductance to working current ratio while maintaining a signal to noise ratio of the same order. A simple high-speed fully differential linearized transconductor cell is proposed with emitter follower buffers and resistive loads for excess phase compensation. A novel gyrator based transformation for the LC ladder BPF has been introduced. This transformation has resulted in a structure with simple capacitor-coupled active resonators which exactly preserves the original transfer function. A fourth order 10.7 MHz BPF IC was designed using the proposed transconductors. It was fabricated and has demonstrated the usefulness of the proposed approach. In addition, an experimental 100 MHz second order BPF IC with Q=14 has been successfully implemented indicating the potential of the proposed approach.

This paper discusses the problems facing spoken dialogue processing and the prospects for future improvements. Research on elemental topics like speech recognition, speech synthesis and language understanding has led to improvements in the accuracy and sophistication of each area of study. First, in order to handle a spoken dialogue, we show the necessity for information exchanges between each area of processing as seen through the analysis of spoken dialogue characteristics. Second, we discuss how to integrate those processes and show that the memory-basad approach to spontaneous speech interpretation offers a solution to the problem of process integration. The key to this is setting up a mental state affected by both speech and linguistic information. Finally, we discuss how those mental states are structured and a method for constructing them.

The characteristics of an optical functional integrated circuit and its applications are discussed. This circuit is based upon a Mach-Zehnder interferometer type waveguide device employing thermo-optic effect. This circuit is compact, cost-effective and practical. One proposed application is an optical loopback circuit to test both OCU loop 1 and DSU loop C. This optical loopback circuit with an attenuator and space switches is formed on a common silicon substrate, and using this circuit both loopback and line tests are independently available at the same access point. The other is an optical selector. This optical selector with WDM-MUX/DMUX and space switches is formed on a common silicon substrate, and using this selector, wavelength selection from medium density WDM (MDWDM) signal can be performed. Each MDWDM signal carries both AM and FM-FDM video signals modulated by Subcarrier Multiplexing (SCM) techniques. This selector can be wired in point-to-multipoint configurations to home video appliances.

An integrated multiplexer in intermediate node is analyzed. The multiplexer is modeled as a system with multiple synchronous servers (channels) and having two kinds of customers. Between the two, one is wideband (WB) and the other is narrowband (NB); they are queueable with the same deterministic service time. The WB customer is given higher priority of channel access than the NB. To incorporate the delay constraint of WB, we use a simple instant discarding scheme for WB. As a result, the system states defined just after the beginning of a slot form an one-dimensional embedded Markov chain. This makes the analysis computationally tractable. The performance measures such as queue length distribution, average blocking probability, and average waiting time are obtained, particularly, the waiting time distribution. Some interesting numerical examples are discussed. Simulation results are also provided to help verify the validity of analysis.

This paper outlines an approach for specifying emissions performance at the component level. The objective is to move towards an industry specification for radiated emissions from large integrated circuits in order to facilitate cost effective system design for EMI compliance. Simple models of the mechanisms of direct chip radiation are provided based on the physical and electrical structure of large integrated circuits. These models lead to simple algorithms for estimating the total IC radiation based on IC design parameters. These models can be related to proposed emissions limits based on the desired application of the IC. Finally a measurement methodology is described which permits evaluation of the IC's relative to the limits and provides the information required to make detailed simulation models.

This paper describes a unified process and device simulation system named P &D Workbench (Process and Device Workbench). The P &D Workbench is an EWS (Engineering Work Station) based system which is connected with MFCs (Main Frame Computers) via networks and can easily execute 2-dimensional process, device, topography and capacitance simulations. Since the P &D Workbench has a supervisor, data-base and excellent user interface using Japanese menu functions and mouse operations, a handling time can be dramatically reduced. The supervisor controls the simulation sequence and file transfer, and manages jobs and files both on EWSs and MFCs, so that plural simulations of splitting conditions can be automatically executed. Short TAT (Turn Around Time) is achieved by selecting an appropriate platform depended on a problem size and MFCs' CPU loads. The effects of the P &D Workbench are shown in examples applied to the development of a 4M-DRAM.

In this letter we study the wave propagation in a diode-equipped microstrip line and show that soliton generation at microwave frequencies is possible with monolithic fabrications of such nonlinear transmission lines. We propose that this phenomenon be utilized as a new method of obtaining ultrashort electrical pulses with picosecond durations. The perdicted soliton generation has been confirmed by computer simulations based on the harmonic balance method.