Abstract
We present two new ways to implement ordinary programs with logic gates. One, like imperative programs, has an associated memory to store state; the other, like functional programs, passes the state from one component to the next. Application-specific circuit design can be done more effectively by using a standard programming language to describe the function that a circuit is intended to perform, rather than by describing a circuit that is intended to perform that function. The resulting circuits are produced automatically; they behave according to the programs, and have the same structure as the programs. For timing, we use local delays, rather than a global clock or local handshaking. We give a formal semantics for both programs and circuits in order to prove our circuits correct. By simulation, we also demonstrate that the circuits perform favorably compared to others.
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This paper is dedicated to the memory of Jan van de Snepscheut, 1953–1994.
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Hehner, E.C.R., Norvell, T.S., Paige, R.F. (2003). High-level circuit design. In: McIver, A., Morgan, C. (eds) Programming Methodology. Monographs in Computer Science. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-21798-7_18
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-21798-7_18
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