General Methodology for Soft-Error-Aware Power Optimization Using Gate Sizing

Power consumption has emerged as the premier and most constraining aspect in modern microprocessor and application-specific designs. Gate sizing has been shown to be one of the most effective methods for power (and area) reduction in CMOS digital circuits. Recently, as the feature size of logic gates (and transistors) is becoming smaller and smaller, the effect of soft-error rates caused by single-event upsets (SEUs) is becoming exponentially greater. As a consequence of technology feature size reduction, the SEU rate for typical microprocessor logic at sea level will go from one in hundred years to one every minute. Unfortunately, the gate sizing requirements of power reduction and resiliency against SEU can be contradictory. 1) We consider the effects of gate sizing on SEU and incorporate the relationship between power reduction and SEU resiliency to develop a new method for power optimization under SEU constraints. 2) Although a nonlinear programming approach is a more obvious solut...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2008
• Where: TCAD
• Authors: Foad Dabiri, Ani Nahapetian, Tammara Massey, Miodrag Potkonjak, Majid Sarrafzadeh
• Keywords: Gate, Power Reduction, Sizing, TCAD 2008