A CMOS general-purpose sampled-data analog processing element

This work presents the architecture and implementation of an analog processor, which in a way akin to a digital microprocessor, embodies a physical model of the universal Turing machine. The analog microprocessor (A/spl mu/P) executes software programs, while nevertheless operating on analog sampled data values. This enables the design of mixed-mode systems which retain the speed/area/power advantages of the analog signal processing paradigm, while being fully programmable general-purpose systems. A proof-of-concept integrated circuit has been implemented in 0.8-/spl mu/m CMOS technology, using switched-current techniques. Experimental results from fabricated chips are presented and examples of the application of the A/spl mu/P's in image processing are given.