HAMLET - An Expression Compilerloptimizer for the Implementation of Heuristics to Minimize Multiple-Valued Programmable Logic Arrays*

HAMLET is a CAD tool that translates a user specification of a multiple-valued expression into a layout of a multiple-valued programmable logic array (MVLPLA) which realizes that expression. It is modular to accommodate future minimization heuristics and future MVL-PLA technologies. At present, it implements two heuristics, [2] and [8] and one MVL-PLA technology, current-mode CMOS [6] . Specifically, HAMLET accepts a sum-of-products expression from the user, applies a minimization heuristic, and then produces a PLA layout of a multiple-valued current-mode CMOS PLA. Besides its design capabilities, HAMLET can also analyze heuristics. Random functions can be generated, heuristics applied, and statistics computed on the results. User-derived expressions can also be analyzed. In addition to the mininlization heuristics [2] and [8], HAMLET can apply search strategies based on these heuristics, which, in the extreme, is exhaustive, producing true minimal forms. HAMLET is available to the public; instructions on how to obtain this program are in Appendix A. It is written in C and conforms to the UNIX command line format.