Goal-oriented decomposition of switching functions

A method for decomposing combinational functions for the purpose of obtaining a multilevel synthesis is proposed. A cascade of mapping stages is used to transform the function being synthesized into a simple one called the goal function. The goal function-usually a one-variable function-is selected at the outset and then used to guide the definition of the transformations to be implemented by the mapping stages. The resulting circuits are comparable in size to those derived from minimal prime-implicant covers. However, goal-oriented synthesis is faster, yields circuits that are easier to test, and offers more flexibility in the choice of gates.<
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