The automatic synthesis of fault tolerant and fault secure VLSI systems

• Main Author: Nixon, Ian Michael
• Published: University of Edinburgh 1988
• Subjects: 621.3192; Fault-tolerant computing : Integrated circuits : FTFS : FTFS design methods
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.381566

This thesis investigates the design of fault tolerant and fault secure (FTFS) systems within the framework of silicon compilation. Automatic design modification is used to introduce FTFS characteristics into a design. A taxonomy of FTFS techniques is introduced and is used to identify a number of features which an "automatic design for FTFS" system should exhibit. A silicon compilation system, Chip Churn 2 (CC2), has been implemented and has been used to demonstrate the feasibility of automatic design of FTFS systems. The CC2 system provides a design language, simulation facilities and a back-end able to produce CMOS VLSI designs. A number of FTFS design methods have been implemented within the CC2 environment; these methods range from triple modular redundancy to concurrent parity code checking. The FTFS design methods can be applied automatically to general designs in order to realise them as FTFS systems. A number of example designs are presented; these are used to illustrate the FTFS modification techniques which have been implemented. Area results for CMOS devices are presented; this allows the modification methods to be compared. A number of problems arising from the methods are highlighted and some solutions suggested.