Abstract:
A BiCMOS logic circuit utilizes an emitter-coupled pair of bipolar transistors for differentially comparing an input signal with a logic reference level. Each of the bipolar transistors are resistively loaded by a p-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor (PMOS) transistor. An emitter follower, having its base coupled to the collector of one of the bipolar transistors and its collector connected to the first power supply potential, provides the output signal. NMOS transistors are used as current sources for biasing the emitter-coupled pair and the emitter follower. A circuit means provides a feedback signal coupled to the gates of the PMOS transistors for dynamically controlling the load resistance presented to said emitter coupled pair.
Abstract:
Expandably wide operations are disclosed in which operands wider than the data path between a processor and memory are used in executing instructions. The expandably wide operands reduce the influence of the characteristics of the associated processor in the design of functional units performing calculations, including the width of the register file, the processor clock rate, the exception subsystem of the processor, and the sequence of operations in loading and use of the operand in a wide cache memory.
Abstract:
A programmable processor and method for improving the performance of processors by expanding at least two source operands, or a source and a result operand, to a width greater than the width of either the general purpose register or the data path width. The present invention provides operands which are substantially larger than the data path width of the processor by using the contents of a general purpose register to specify a memory address at which a plurality of data path widths of data can be read or written, as well as the size and shape of the operand. In addition, several instructions and apparatus for implementing these instructions are described which obtain performance advantages if the operands are not limited to the width and accessible number of general purpose registers.
Abstract:
A programmable processor and method for improving the performance of processors by expanding at least two source operands, or a source and a result operand, to a width greater than the width of either the general purpose register or the data path width. The present invention provides operands which are substantially larger than the data path width of the processor by using the contents of a general purpose register to specify a memory address at which a plurality of data path widths of data can be read or written, as well as the size and shape of the operand. In addition, several instructions and apparatus for implementing these instructions are described which obtain performance advantages if the operands are not limited to the width and accessible number of general purpose registers.
Abstract:
A system and method expands a source operand to a width greater than that of a general purpose register or a data path. Operands are provided substantially larger than the data path width of a processor. The general purpose register specifies a memory address from which several data path widths of data are read. A data path functional unit is augmented with dedicated storage to which the memory operand is copied on initial execution of the instruction. Further instructions specifying the same memory address read the dedicated storage to obtain the operand value, upon verification that the memory operand has not been altered by intervening instructions. If the memory operand remains current, the memory operand fetch is combined with register operands in the functional unit, producing a result the size of a general register, so no dedicated storage is required for the result.
Abstract:
A programmable processor and method for improving the performance of processors by expanding at least two source operands, or a source and a result operand, to a width greater than the width of either the general purpose register or the data path width. The present invention provides operands which are substantially larger than the data path width of the processor by using the contents of a general purpose register to specify a memory address at which a plurality of data path widths of data can be read or written, as well as the size and shape of the operand. In addition, several instructions and apparatus for implementing these instructions are described which obtain performance advantages if the operands are not limited to the width and accessible number of general purpose registers.
Abstract:
A programmable processor and method for improving the performance of processors by incorporating an execution unit operable to decode and execute single instructions specifying both a shift amount and a register containing a plurality of data elements, wherein the execution unit is operable to shift a subfield of each of the plurality of data elements by the shift amount to produce a second plurality of data elements; and provide the second plurality of data elements as a catenated result.
Abstract:
A programmable processor and method for improving the performance of processors by expanding at least two source operands, or a source and a result operand, to a width greater than the width of either the general purpose register or the data path width. The present invention provides operands which are substantially larger than the data path width of the processor by using the contents of a general purpose register to specify a memory address at which a plurality of data path widths of data can be read or written, as well as the size and shape of the operand. In addition, several instructions and apparatus for implementing these instructions are described which obtain performance advantages if the operands are not limited to the width and accessible number of general purpose registers.
Abstract:
A programmable processor and method for improving the performance of processors by incorporating an execution unit operable to decode and execute single instructions specifying both a shift amount and a register containing a plurality of data elements, wherein the execution unit is operable to shift a subfield of each of the plurality of data elements by the shift amount to produce a second plurality of data elements; and provide the second plurality of data elements as a catenated result.