Designing, packaging, and testing a 300-MHz, 115 W ECL microprocessor

A custom microprocessor implemented with 1-μm bipolar technology operates at 300 MHz and dissipates 115 W. By using full-custom ECL technology, we achieved clock rates three to six times faster than 1-μm CMOS processors. We designed this research prototype to develop VLSI ECL circuit techniques, a new style of CAD tools, high-performance chip interfaces, and advanced packaging techniques for high-power microprocessors.