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Setup &hold Time

Setup and Hold time Equations

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cottilard1995
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40 views4 pages

Setup &hold Time

Setup and Hold time Equations

Uploaded by

cottilard1995
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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SETUP AND HOLD TIME VIOLATIONS

What are Setup Time and Hold Time?

 Setup Time (Tsetup): The minimum time that the input signal (data) must be
stable before the clock edge (usually the rising or falling edge, depending on
design) in order to be correctly captured by the flip-flop.

 Hold Time (Thold): The minimum time that the input signal (data) must remain
stable after the clock edge to ensure the correct operation of the flip-flop.

When these timing constraints aren’t met, they cause setup and hold violations that
can lead to unreliable or incorrect data storage within the flip-flop, impacting the
overall performance and functionality of the circuit.

Setup Time Violation:


A setup time violation occurs when the data input changes too close to the clock edge,
not allowing enough time for the data to be reliably sampled.

 Impact: If setup time is violated, the flip-flop may latch incorrect data, leading to
incorrect operation and unexpected behavior in the circuit.

 Common Causes: Insufficient time between clock edges (i.e., a high-frequency


clock) or slow data paths that cannot propagate data quickly enough.

Setup Time Equation:

Tclock ≥ Tsetup + Tclk−q + Tcomb

where:

 Tclock: Clock period (time between consecutive clock edges).

 Tsetup: Setup time of the flip-flop.

 Tclk−q: Propagation delay from the clock edge to the output of the flip-flop.

 Tcomb: Delay of the combinational logic between the flip-flops.

This inequality ensures that the data has sufficient time to be stable at the next flip-flop
before the clock edge.
Hold Time Violation:
A hold time violation occurs when the data input changes too soon after the clock
edge, meaning it does not remain stable for the required hold period after the clock
edge.

 Impact: If hold time is violated, the flip-flop may end up capturing unstable or
incorrect data, which again can cause errors in the operation of the circuit.

 Common Causes: Very short delays in the combinational logic path, or a too-
fast clock edge.

Hold Time Equation:

Thold ≤ Tclk−q + Tcomb

where:

 Thold: Hold time requirement of the flip-flop.

 Tclk−q: Propagation delay from the clock edge to the output of the flip-flop.

 Tcomb: Delay of the combinational logic between flip-flops.

This inequality ensures that the data remains stable for a sufficient amount of time after
the clock edge.

Implications of Setup and Hold Time Violations:


Setup and hold time violations can cause significant issues in digital circuits:

 Data Corruption: Violations may cause incorrect data to be stored or


transferred, leading to erroneous computation and unexpected circuit behavior.

 “Metastability”: If a flip-flop is forced to sample data in an unstable state, it can


go into a condition known as metastability, where it neither outputs a high nor a
low signal, causing glitches and timing problems in downstream circuits.

 Reduced Circuit Reliability: Persistent violations reduce the reliability of the


circuit over time, as they increase the chances of timing errors under varying
environmental conditions (like temperature and voltage variations).
Common Problems and Solutions:
Problem: A circuit is operating close to the maximum clock frequency, causing frequent
setup time violations.

Solution:

 Reduce the clock frequency, allowing more time between clock edges.

 Optimize combinational logic delay by simplifying logic paths.

 Pipeline the design, adding additional flip-flops to break down complex logic
paths.

Problem: A design has hold time violations due to fast combinational logic paths.

Solution:

 Add small buffers (delay elements) in the data path to slow down the data arrival
time at the next flip-flop.

 Adjust layout and routing to balance delays across data paths.

6. Example Calculation

Example 1: Setup Time Requirement

Suppose:

 Tsetup=2 ns

 Tclk−q=1 ns

 Tcomb=3 ns

 Then, to avoid a setup violation, the clock period must satisfy

 Tclock ≥ Tsetup + Tclk−q + Tcomb

 Tclock ≥ 2+1+3 = 6ns

Thus, the clock period must be at least 6 ns (frequency ≤ 166.67 MHz).


Example 2: Hold Time Requirement

Suppose:

 Thold = 0.5 ns

 Tclk−q = 1 ns

 Tcomb = 0.2 ns

 For no hold time violation: Thold ≤ Tclk−q + Tcomb

In this case, the requirement is met since 0.5 ns ≤ 1.2 ns.

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