Modern VLSI Design: System-on-Chip Design, Third Edition

5Sequential Machines

Highlights:

Latches and flip-flops

Clocking structures and timing disciplines.

Sequential system design.

Sequential system testing.

5.1 Introduction

A sequential machine is a machine whose output values depend not only on the present input values, but also the history of previous inputs. The sequential machine’s memory lets us build much more sophisticated functions; it also complicates design, validation, and testing. In this chapter we will learn the design methods common to all sequential systems: memory element design, construction rules which guarantee that our sequential system operates properly, specification techniques, state assignment, performance optimization, and testing.

5.2 Latches and Flip-Flops ...