Recent Trends in Gigabit Logic

In the past years, GaAs has clearly demonstrated its potential to perform very high speed digital signal processing functions. Today, GaAs has entered the high speed ASIC arena and is able to seriously challenge Si ECL both in terms of performance and price. New applications push for still higher levels of integration and lower prices. In this paper, current GaAs MESFET performances are compared to those attained by Si bipolar devices. Requirements for very high speed data conversion are also examined and future trends are discussed.