A dynamic CMOS multiplier for analog VLSI based on exponential pulse-decay modulation

A clocked, charge-based, CMOS modulator circuit is presented. The circuit, which performs a semilinear multiplication function, has applications in arrayed analog VLSI architectures such as parallel filters and neural network systems. The design presented is simple in structure, uses no operational amplifiers for the actual multiplication function, and uses no power in the static mode. Two-quadrant weighting of an input signal is accomplished by control of the magnitude and decay time of an exponential current pulse, resulting in the delivery of charge packets to a shared capacitive summing bus. The cell is modular in structure and can be fabricated in a standard CMOS process. An analytical derivation of the operation of the circuit, SPICE simulations, and MOSIS fabrication results are presented. The simulation studies indicate that the circuit is inherently tolerant to temperature effects, absolute device sizing errors, and clock-feedthrough transients