On the Design of Bit-Slice Processors

Abstract

In the past decade, fixed instruction microprocessors have evolved from 4 bits to 32 bits. Their compact design and relative low cost have made them very popular with design engineers. Their use extends into a lot of applications. However, in high performance applications their usefulness becomes limited. Bit-slice devices are the answer for such applications. This paper is intended to present principles and to develop familiarity with such devices. In order to understand and appreciate the usefulness of these devices, a simple system is described. This paper discusses the design and construction of the central processing section. The generation of a multi-phase clock is also tackled.