In an embedded system hardware design process, there are three main factors that have a great impact on quality, cost and development time of the final design. These factors are the availability of a library of well proven building blocks (also known as IP cores); computer tools for the design, implementation and verification of the system, and finally, the adoption of efficient methodologies well suited to the design environment and to the available set of cores and tools.

This paper presents HALOTIS, a novel high accuracy logic timing simulation tool, that incorporates a new simulation algorithm based on different concepts for transitions and events. This new simulation algorithm is intended for including the inertial and degradation delay models. Simulation results are very similar to those obtained by electrical simulators, and show a higher accuracy compared to conventional delay models implemented in current logic simulators.

The authors present the Inertial and Degradation Delay Model (IDDM) for CMOS digital simulation. The model combines the degradation delay model presented in previous papers with a new algorithm to handle the inertial effect, and is able to take account of the propagation and filtering of arbitrarily narrow pulses (glitches, etc.). The model clearly overcomes the limitations of conventional approaches.

The purpose of this paper is to present a novel modular N-user asynchronous arbiter circuit which is insensitive to metastable operation (i.e., the new arbiter cannot fail because of metastability), operating asynchronously and incorporating a modular architecture. A 1.5 /spl mu/m CMOS prototype arbiter has been designed and tested. Laboratory tests demonstrate the arbiter operates correctly.