On 8/12/2006 at 11:08 PM woodelf wrote:
So what is a adiabatic system?
I assume that you mean a system made up of adiabatic logic elements.
Consider what happens when a CMOS logic gate moves from an "on" state to an
"off" state. Where does the charge stored in the gate capacitance go?
Answer--it's dissipated as heat. An adiabatic logic device attempts to
recover this charge and re-use it, thus drastically lowering power
dissipation.
All the adiabatic logic I've seen has been clocked, however. I'm not even
sure that async adiabatic logic is even possible with current technology.
Here's an 8 bit adiabatic multiplier:
http://www.eecs.umich.edu/acal/features/0267046001055824855/index.html
And here's a London firm called--surprise!---Adiabatic Logic Ltd. that's
working on some products:
http://www.adiabaticlogic.com/
Cheers,
Chuck