Hazards in Digital Logic and Switching

Hazards

o  A hazard is a momentary unwanted switching transient at a logic func?on s output
(i.e., a glitch).
o  Hazards/glitches occur due to unequal propaga?on delays along different paths in a
combina?onal circuit.

o  Can take steps to try and eliminate hazards.
o  There are two types of hazards; sta,c and dynamic.
o  For asynchronous circuits in par,cular, hazards can cause problems in addi,on to
other issues like races and non-‐fundamental mode opera,on!
n  Momentary false logic func2on values in an asynchronous circuit can cause a
transi2on to an incorrect stable state!
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Sta?c hazards
o  Sta?c-‐0 Hazard:
n  Occurs when output is 0 and should remain at 0, but temporarily switches to a 1
due to a change in an input.
o  Sta?c-‐1 Hazard:
n  Occurs when output is 1 and should remain at 1, but temporarily switches to a 0
due to a change in an input.
1 1
0 0
static-0 hazard (0->0) static-1 hazard (1->1)

Dynamic hazards
o  Dynamic Hazard:
n  Occurs when an input changes, and a circuit output should change 0 -‐> 1 or 1 -‐>
0, but temporarily flips between values.
1 1
0 0
dynamic hazard (0->1) dynamic hazard (1->0)

Illustra?on
o  Consider the following circuit with 1 a AND1
1
delays where only one input (input b 1->0
1->0
b) changes… 10->1 1 f=ab+b'c
INV 1->???
o  Draw a ?ming diagram to see what 1 0->1
happens at output with delays. 1 c AND2
o  From the logic expression, we see

that b changing should result in the b
output remaining at logic level 1…
o  Due to delay, the output goes 1-‐>0-‐ INV

>1 and this is an output glitch; we
see a sta,c-‐1 hazard. AND1
AND2
OUTPUT GLITCH!!!

Fixing hazards (2-‐level circuits) (1)
o  When circuits are implemented as 2-‐level SOP (2-‐level POS), we can detect and
remove hazards by inspec?ng the K-‐Map and adding redundant product (sum) terms.
bc
00 01 11 10
a
0 0 1 0 0
1 0 1 1 1
f=ab+b'c
o  Observe that when input b changes from 1-‐>0 (as in the previous ?ming diagram), that
we jump from one product term to another product term.
n  If adjacent minterms are not covered by the same product term, then a HAZARD
EXISTS!!!

bc
00 01 11 10
a
0 0 1 0 0
1 0 1 1 1
f=ab+b'c + ac
o  The extra product term does not include the changing input variable, and therefore
serves to prevent possible momentary output glitches due to this variable.

o  The redundant product term is not influenced by the changing input.
1 a AND1
b
1->0
INV AND2 1->1

1 c f=ab+b'c+ac
AND3
1->1

o  For 2-‐level circuits, if we remove all sta?c-‐1 hazards using the K-‐Map (adding
redundant product terms), we are guaranteed that there will be no sta?c-‐0 hazards or
dynamic hazards.
o  If we work with Product-‐Of-‐Sums, we might find sta?c-‐0 hazards when moving from
one sum term to another sum term. We can remove these hazards by adding
redundant sum-‐terms.

Hazards in asynchronous circuits
o  Consider our first circuit with a hazard, but assume it is not combinatorial, but rather
asynchronous.
o  We can draw the transi?on table, and see that there is the poten?al to end up in an
incorrect stable state.
1 a curr
1->0 next state output
b state
1->0 Y=ab+b'y
ab=00 01 11 10
y Y Y Y Y
y 0 0 0 1 0 0
1 1 0 1 1 1

Hazards in mul?-‐level circuits (1)
o  2-‐level circuits are easy to deal with and hazards can be removed…
o  The situa?on is harder with mul?-‐level circuits in which there are mul?ple paths from
an input to an output:
0->1 x
a 1
w 1->0->1
1 1 f
1b y
1->0 1 0->1 0->1->0->1
1c 1->0
1
1d z

Hazards in mul?-‐level circuits (2)
o  Timing diagram shows output changing 0-‐>1-‐>0-‐>1.
o  Hazards like this are hard to fix. We could always find a 2-‐level circuit of the previous
circuit and get something hazard free…

Fixing hazards with latches (1)
o  Can also fix hazards using SR or S R latches.
n  An SR Latch can tolerate momentary 0s appearing at its inputs (since we might momentarily move
from a set or reset to a hold and then back).
n  An S R Latch can tolerate momentary 1s appearing at its inputs (since we might momentarily move
from a set or reset to a hold and then back):
R (reset) Q S (set) Q
S (set) !Q R (reset) !Q

o  Consider our original circuit with a sta?c-‐1 hazard (temporary 0 at output):
1 a bc
b 00 01 11 10
1->0 a
f=ab+b'c 0 0 1 0 0
1 0 1 1 1
1 c f=ab+b'c

o  Consider that we take our output f from the output of a latch.
o  Since we are trying to fix sta?c-‐1 hazards we need to be able to tolerate momentary
0s at latch inputs => Use a SR Latch (NOR Latch).
o  To get the func?on f from the latch output, we need equa?ons for S and R of the
latch (so that the latch gets SET when f should be one, otherwise RESET).
bc bc
00 01 11 10 00 01 11 10
a a
0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1
1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0
Equation for S Equation for R

o  Draw a circuit using the latch, and see that glitch in output due to the hazard is gone.
1 a 0->0
b
1->0 R
0->0 f
1->1
1 c 0->0
1->0
S
0->0
1->1
1->0->1
0->1

Output assignment in asynchronous circuits
o  Flow and transi?on tables might have unspecified entries for circuit outputs.
n  This might be a result of the fundamental mode assump?on.
n  This might be a result of unstable states.
o  Note: we always have output values assigned for stable states!
o  We should think about the what happens with the unspecified output values…
n  They are, in effect, don t cares that we can exploit during minimiza?on of the
output logic equa?ons.
n  But, we might temporarily pass through these values while transi?oning from
one stable state to another stable state.
o  Depending on the output equa?ons that we derive (due to minimiza?on of the
output equa?ons), we might end up having glitches at our circuit outputs.
n  Glitches are bad; they could get fed into another circuit causing problems. They
also waste power.

Avoiding output glitches
o  Consider the following flow table with don t cares at some outputs (circuit has one
input and one output): next state output
curr
state x=0 x=1 x=0 x=1
a a b 0 -
b c b - 0
c c d 1 -
d a d - 1
o  Consider a transi?on between two stable states due to a change in an input value and
how it might be best to assign the don t care value in an unstable intermediate state:
n  If both stable states produce a 0 output, make output 0 instead of a don t care.
n  If both stable states produce a 1 output, make output 1 instead of a don t care.
n  If stable states produce different outputs, the output can remain a don t care and
be used to find a smaller output circuit.
o  This will enable us to avoid output glitches when passing through unstable temporary
states.

Example
o  If we consider possible transi?ons, we see that some of the output don t cares
should be changed to 0 or 1 to avoid glitches.
curr next state output curr next state output

state x=0 x=1 x=0 x=1 state x=0 x=1 x=0 x=1
a a b 0 - a a b 0 0
b c b - 0 b c b - 0
c c d 1 - c c d 1 1
d a d - 1 d a d - 1
o  The above changes will avoid temporary glitches at the outputs during transi?ons
where the output should not change.

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Hazards

o There are two types of hazards; sta,c and dynamic.

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o From the logic expression, we see

o Due to delay, the output goes 1-­‐>0-­‐ INV

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INV AND2 1->1

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o Timing diagram shows output changing 0-­‐>1-­‐>0-­‐>1.

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curr next state output curr next state output

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o  There are two types of hazards; sta,c and dynamic.

o  From the logic expression, we see

o  Due to delay, the output goes 1-‐>0-‐ INV

o  Timing diagram shows output changing 0-‐>1-‐>0-‐>1.