Inductorless Fast Phase Logic: Enabling Two-Order-of-Magnitude Density Scaling for Superconductor VLSI
For superconductor VLSI designers, FPL offers a path to dramatically higher density and lower power, addressing key bottlenecks in scaling superconductor electronics.
The paper introduces Fast Phase Logic (FPL), a new superconductor logic family that uses multiple junction types to enable a two-order-of-magnitude increase in integration density over conventional RSFQ logic and a five-fold reduction in supply current, with potential applications in signal processing and AI accelerators.
Fast phase logic (FPL) is a novel digital superconductor electronic (SCE) logic family that employs multiple junction types, including switching 0-Josephson junctions (0-JJs), non-switching 0-JJ stacks, and $π$-JJs. FPL enables flexible, automatable cell layouts, faster pulse propagation, reduced bias current via phase-shifting $π$-JJs, and minimized inductive loops, thereby reducing susceptibility to trapped flux and crosstalk. A fabrication process to support FPL is proposed. NbTiN superconductors offer small grain sizes, smooth surfaces, and thermal stability up to 400~$^\circ$C, while high-$J_c$, self-shunted JJs enable compact devices. AlN dielectrics provide good crystal matching to NbTiN, improving superconducting properties. Projections indicate that FPL, combined with the proposed process, can achieve a two-order-of-magnitude increase in integration density over conventional RSFQ logic and a five-fold reduction in supply current. The increased density reduces latency and improves computational throughput, while NbTiN-based devices provide higher output voltage and impedance, improving compatibility with CMOS circuits. Further fabrication advancements, such as higher-$J_c$ NbTiN-based JJs, higher processing temperatures, and stacked JJ structures, could enhance FPL implementation and scalability toward very large-scale integration (VLSI). FPL has the potential to significantly advance SCE technology, with near-term applications in accelerator cores for signal processing and artificial intelligence, and long-term potential in supercomputing. Its advantages are evaluated through an architectural study of a fast Fourier transform (FFT) circuit, with comparisons to CMOS and SFQ technologies.