A 3.5 ns/77 K and 6.2 ns/300 K 64 K CMOS RAM with ECL interfaces

A 64 K CMOS RAM with emitter-coupled logic (ECL) interfaces having access times of 6.2 ns at room temperature and with a CMOS process specifically optimized for low-temperature operation, 3.5 ns at liquid nitrogen (LN) temperature, is presented. The CMOS processes feature a 0.5 mu m L/sub eff/, self-aligned TiSi/sub 2/ double-level metal, and an average minimum feature size of 1.35 mu m. Circuits keyed to high-speed operation are described with emphasis on low power and safe operation. Unique aspects of LN-temperature operation including circuit-device interactions, the impact of velocity saturation effects on channel length, temperature and power supply sensitivities, and the characteristics of the ECL-to-CMOS receiver circuits are discussed.>