On the comparison of synchronous versus asynchronous circuits under the scope of conducted power-supply noise

Abstract

Nowadays, the major part of electronic devices make use of synchronous circuits controlled by a global clock signal. However, the noise sensitivity as well as the electromagnetic emission of this type of circuit is very high. In this context, asynchronous circuits represent a very interesting solution, since they are naturally more robust than the synchronous counterparts. The proposed work aims at comparing the robustness of synchronous and asynchronous circuits generated according to the Desynchronization Approach presented in when they are exposed to power supply disturbances (PSD). To provide the necessary results to compare the two different design paradigms, we performed a set of experiments according to the IEC 61.000-4-17 and the IEC 61.000-4-29 Normatives. The obtained results demonstrate that the asynchronous circuit is significantly more robust than the synchronous one.