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Unit 5. Introduction to logic families and basic characteristics [8]

5.1. TTL Family and Devices.
5.2. CMOS Family and Devices.
5.3. ECL Family and Devices.
5.4. Comparison of above mentioned Logic families in terms of Input/Output
Voltage, Current, Supply
5.5. Voltage, Operation temperature, Fan-in, Speed and Noise Margin.
5.6. Standard available Devices in different families and Compatibility. –
5.7. External Driving Devices. Opto -Coupler, LED, Relays.

TTL Family and Devices: TTL stand for Transistor-Transistor logic. The TTL logic gates and
other digital circuit are made from bipolar transistor and resistor. The term transistor- transistor
is used because both logic function and amplification are made by using transistors. In TTL logic
family 0 V to 0.8 V is logic 0 and 2V to 5 V is logic 1.

VCC =+5V

R1 =4kΩ R2 =1.6kΩ
R4 =130kΩ

Output

R1 =11kΩ

Basic TTL NAND Gate

Circuit operation of TTL NAND gate:

Case 1: When both inputs are logical ones

When all the inputs are held at high voltage, the base-emitter junctions of the multiple-
emitter transistor are reverse-biased. A small "collector" current (approximately 10 ) is
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drawn by each of the inputs. This is because the transistor is in reverse active mode. An
approximately constant current flows from the positive terminals, through the resistor and into
base of multiple emitter transistor. This current passes through the base emitter junction of the
output transistor, allowing it to conduct and pulling the output voltage low(logical zero).
Case 2: Both input are logical zero:
Note that the base-collector junction of the multiple-emitter transistor and the base-emitter
junction of the output transistor are in series between the bottom of the resistors and ground.
If one of input voltage becomes zero, the corresponding base-emitter junction of the multiple
emitter transistor is parallel with these two junctions, no current flows through the base of
output transistor, causing it to stop conducting and the output voltage becomes high(logical
one).

When at least one input is logic LOW, transistor T2 and T3 are in cut-off and hence, output of
T3 is HIGH.

When all inputs are HIGH, T1 operates in active inverse mode, driving T2 & T3 in saturation.
Since T3 is ON, the output is LOW.
A B Y
Truth Table NAND gate 0 0 1
0 1 1
1 0 1
1 1 0

Characteristics of TTL logic families:

 The output of a TTL device can serve as an input to maximum of 10 gates i.e. fan-out is 10.
 A logic low voltage for a TTL is defined between 0 to 0.8V
 A logic high voltage for a TTL is at 2V to 5V.
 The propagation delay is about 9nSec
 A typical TTL component draws a power about 11mW

Advantages of TTL logic families:

 TTL has a strong drive capability
 Requires only one supply voltage
 Fastest saturation compared to other logic families
 Low output impedance for all states
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Disadvantages of TTL logic families:

 TTL dissipate a lot of power, thus not making suitable for battery powered devices.
 Not recommended in VLSI chips as it requires more space.
 Expensive compared to MOSFETs.

Terminologies related to logic families:

1. Speed: Determined by the time between the application of input and change in output.
2. Fan out: The number of loads that the output of gate can drive.
3. Fan in: The maximum number of inputs that can be applied to a logic gate.
4. Power dissipation: Power consumed per gate.
5. Propagation delay: The average delay time for the signal propagation input to output.
6. Noise Margin: It is the limit of noise voltage that can be present without disturbing proper
operation of circuit.
7. Noise immunity: Maximum noise that a circuit can withstand without changing the output.
8. Figure of merit: Product of propagation delay and power dissipation.
CMOS family and devices:
 A complementary MOSFET (CMOS) is obtained by connecting a P-channel and N-channel
MOSFET in series. Drains are tied together and the output is taken as the common drain.
Input is applied at common gate formed by connecting two gates together as shown in
figure.
 The CMOS family uses a complementary pair (one Nchannel and one P-channel) of MOSFET
devices. The CMOS family has a high input impedance and a very low power consumption.
CMOS logic is available in either NAND or NOR configurations. CMOS devices must be
handled very carefully to avoid damage from static discharge.

Fig: CMOS NOT gate

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1. When Vi = =VCC, Q1 turns ON and Q2 is OFF. Since VGS2 = 0. Hence Vo = 0. Io is negligible.

2. When Vi = 0, T1 turns OFF and T2 is ON. The output voltage Vout =VCC and ID is negligible.
Hence, the circuit operates as inverter.

CMOS NOR gate: The circuit diagram for two input NOR gate is shown in figure.

Q1

Q2

Q4 Q3

In this circuit, one P-channel MOSFET is added in series and one N-channel is added in parallel
further to the basic inverter.
In first case when both inputs are at low levels, then P-channels MOSFET Q1 and Q2 will be ON
and both N – channel MOSFETS Q3 and Q4 will be OFF which will give output at high level.
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In the other case When either one or both the inputs are at high level, then P-channel MOSFET
and N-channel MOSFET corresponding to high level input will be OFF and ON respectively giving
output of low level.

CMOS NAND gate

VDD

Q1 Q4

Vout

A
Q2

B
Q3

Figure: CMOS NAND gate

The circuit operation of CMOS NAND gate is
 In the first case, when both inputs are at high level, both P-channel MOSFETS will be OFF
and both N-channel MOSFETS will be ON and gives low level output.
 In the other case
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Advantages of CMOS Logic Families

 Has the highest fan-out, when compared with TTL and ECL
 Works well over a wide range of temperature
 Noise immunity is better than TTL and ECL

Disadvantages of CMOS Logic Families

 Average pro
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pagation
delay is the least in comparison with TTL and ECL
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Characteristics of ECL Logic Families

 The output of an ECL system has a very low impedance, thus having a
fan-out of about 25.
 The propagation time is about 1ns, making it the fastest logic family.
 A logic low voltage for ECL is about -1.7V to -1.75V.
 A logic high voltage for ECL is about -0.8V.
 It is the fastest amongst all the logic families.
 It has an average propagation delay time of about 1ns-4ns.

Advantages of ECL Logic Families

 Has a fan-out better than the TTL Logic family

 Offers the highest speed in operation
 ECL systems produce complementary outputs (OR-NOR, AND-NAND).
 Parameters do not vary much with temperature

Disadvantages of ECL Logic Families

 Worst noise immunity compared to TTL and CMOS

 Highest power consumption, when compared with TTL and CMOS
 VLSI design difficult as ECL circuits require resistors, thus increasing
system size
 Capacitive loading reduces the fan-out capacity

 It has excellent noise immunity amongst all families.

 A logic low voltage for CMOS is about
 A logic high voltage for ECL is somewhere between 4.5V to 5V.
 The propagation delay is the worst when compared with TTL and ECL
families at about 200ns.

Difference between TTL, ECL, and CMOS

SPECIFICATION TTL ECL CMOS
Components Transistors & passive Transistors & passive MOSFETs
elements elements
Basic Gate NAND OR/NOR NAND/NOR
Noise Immunity Strong Good Very strong
Fan-out 10 25 More than 50
tPD in ns 1.5-30 1-4 1-210
Noise margin Moderate Low High
Power/gate in mWatt 10 40-55 0.0025
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Clock rate in MHz 35 >60 10

Figure of Merit 100 40-100 0.7

Optocoupler

An optocoupler (also called opto isolator) is a semiconductor device that allows an electrical
signal to be transmitted between two isolated circuits. Two parts are used in an optocoupler:
an LED that emits infrared light and a photosensitive device that detects light from the LED.
Both parts are contained within a black box with pins for connectivity. The input circuit takes
the incoming signal, whether the signal is AC or DC, and uses the signal to turn on the LED.

The photosensor is the output circuit that detects the light and depending on the type of
output circuit, the output will be AC or DC. Current is first applied to the optocoupler, making
the LED emit an infrared light proportional to the current going through the device. When the
light hits the photosensor a current is conducted, and it is switched on. When the current
flowing through the LED is interrupted, the IR beam is cut-off, causing the photosensor to stop
conducting.

There are four configurations of optocouplers, the difference being the photosensitive device
used. Photo-transistor and Photo-Darlington are typically used in DC circuits, and Photo-SCR
and Photo-TRIAC are used to control AC circuits. In the photo-transistor optocoupler, the
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transistor could either be PNP or NPN. The Darlington transistor is a two transistor pair, where
one transistor controls the other transistor’s base. The Darlington transistor provides high gain
ability.

The term optocoupler and optoisolator are often used interchangeably, but there is a slight
difference between the two. The distinguishing factor is the voltage difference expected
between the input and the output. The optocoupler is used to transmit analog or digital
information between circuits while maintaining electrical isolation at potentials up to 5,000
volts. An optoisolator is used to transmit analog or digital information between circuits where
the potential difference is above 5,000 volts.

An Optocoupler Can Effectively:

 Remove electrical noise from signals

 Isolate low-voltage devices from high-voltage circuits. The device is able to avoid
disruptions from voltage surges (ex: from radio frequency transmissions, lightning
strikes, and spikes in a power supply)
 Allow the usage of small digital signals to control larger AC voltages
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An optocoupler is used for:

 Isolate low voltage devices from high voltage circuits

 Allow the use of small digital signals to control larger AC voltages.
 Remove electrical noise from signal.

LED: A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits light when an electric
current flows through it. When current passes through an LED, the electrons recombine with
holes emitting light in the process. LED allows the current to flow in the forward direction and
blocks the current in the reverse direction.

Light-emitting diodes are heavily doped p-n junctions. Based on the semiconductor material used and the
amount of doping, an LED will emit a coloured light at a particular spectral wavelength when forward biased.
As shown in the figure, an LED is encapsulated with a transparent cover so that emitted light can come out.

LED Symbol
The LED symbol is the standard symbol for a diode, with the addition of two small arrows denoting the
emission of light.

Simple LED Circuit

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The figure below shows a simple LED circuit.

The circuit consists of an LED, a voltage supply and a resistor to regulate the current and voltage.

How does an LED work?

When the diode is forward biased, the minority electrons are sent from p → n while the
minority holes are sent from n → p. At the junction boundary, the concentration of minority
carriers increases. The excess minority carriers at the junction recombine with the majority
charges carriers.
Uses of LED
LEDs find applications in various fields, including optical communication, alarm and security
systems, remote-controlled operations, robotics, etc. It finds usage in many areas because of its
long-lasting capability, low power requirements, swift response time, and fast switching
capabilities.
LED uses:
 Used for TV back-lighting
 Used in displays
 Used in Automotives
 LEDs used in the dimming of lights
Relay: A relay can be defined as a switch. Switches are generally used to close or open the
circuit manually .Relay is also a switch that connects or disconnects two circuits. But instead of
manual operation a relay is applied with electrical signal, which in turn connects or disconnects
another circuit.
Relay logic circuit is an electrical network consisting of lines, device.
A typical circuit consists of a number of rungs, with each line controlling an output. This output
is controlled by a combination of input or output conditions, such as input switches and control
relays.
The conditions that represent the inputs are connected in series, parallel, or series-parallel to
obtain the logic required to drive the output. The relay logic circuit forms an electrical
schematic diagram for the control of input and output devices.