A 0.2-/spl mu/m, 1.8-V, SOI, 550-MHZ, 64-b PowerPC microprocessor with copper interconnects

A 550-MHz 64-b PowerPC processor in 0.2-um silicon-on-insulator (SOI) copper technology achieves a 22% frequency gain over a similar design in a CMOS bulk technology. Performance gains are 15%-40% at the circuit level, 24%-28%, for critical paths. Unique SOI design aspects such as history effect, lowered noise margins, parasitic bipolar current, and self-heating are considered.