FPGA clock network architecture: flexibility vs. area and power

This paper examines the tradeoffs between flexibility, area, and power dissipation of programmable clock networks for FieldProgrammable Gate Arrays (FPGA's). The paper begins by describing a parameterized clock network model that describes a broad range of programmable clock network architectures. Specifically, the model supports architectures with multiple local and global clock domains and varying amounts of flexibility at various levels of the clock network. Using the model, the architectural parameters that control the flexibility of the clock network are varied to determine the cost of this flexibility in terms of area and power dissipation. From these experiments, the study finds that area and power costs are highest for networks with flexibility close to the logic blocks. Furthermore, it found that clock networks with local clock domains have little overhead and are significantly more efficient than clock networks without local clock domains for applications with multiple ...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2006
• Where: FPGA
• Authors: Julien Lamoureux, Steven J. E. Wilton
• Keywords: Clock Domains, Clock Network, FPGA, FPGA 2006, Programmable Clock Network