Logic Synthesis for Ambipolar FETs

Double-Independent-Gate (DIG) Field Effect Transistors (FETs) are expected to extend Moore’s law in the coming years. Many emerging technologies present the possibility to have DIG FETs with one gate controlling online the device polarity. Such devices are called ambipolar transistors and efficiently embed the XOR function. Logic gates based on ambipolar transistors can implement more complex logic functions with less physical resources than conventional Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) gates. However, most of the stateof-art logic design and synthesis methods have been developed expressly for CMOS technology and may miss some optimization opportunity if directly employed for ambipolar technology. This motivates us to propose new methods, or adapt existing ones, for automated logic synthesis targeting ambipolar transistors. In this report, we first present design techniques for logic gates based on ambipolar devices. Then, we introduce logic optimization and technology mapping methods, originally proposed for CMOS, that are also of interest for ambipolar technology. Finally, we present our proposal for an efficient logic synthesis methodology targeting ambipolar transistors.