Design of a Processing Element Based on Quaternary Differential Logic for a Multi-Core SIMD Processor

A high-speed, low-power and compact processing element (PE) using quaternary differential logic is proposed for a multi-core single-instruction multiple-data (SIMD) processor. A two-bit addition which is the critical path of the ALU is attributed to a one-digit quaternary addition that is directly performed by using multiple-valued current- mode (MVCM) differential logic circuitry. A one-digit quaternary flip-flop is also simply implemented by using the MVCM differential logic circuitry. The efficiency of the proposed quaternary PE is demonstrated using 0.18 mum CMOS HSPICE simulation in comparison with a corresponding CMOS implementation.