Saturating Counters: Application and Design Alternatives

We define a new class of parallel counters, Saturating Counters, which provide the exact count of the inputs that are 1 only if this count is below a given threshold. Such counters are useful in, for example, a self-test and repair unit for embedded memories in a system-on-a-chip. We describe this application and present several alternatives for the design of the saturating counter. We then compare the delay and area of the proposed design alternatives.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2003
• Where: ARITH
• Authors: Israel Koren, Yaron Koren, Bejoy G. Oomman
• Keywords: Applied Computing, ARITH 2003, Exact Count, Parallel Counters, Such Counters