Fast and Low Power Implementation of Ternary ALU

International Journal of Electrical and Electronics Engineering
© 2025 by SSRG - IJEEE Journal
Volume 12 Issue 7
Year of Publication : 2025
Authors : Nagarathna, Srividya B V, Soumya S, Deepti Raj, Vinod B Durdi
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How to Cite?

Nagarathna, Srividya B V, Soumya S, Deepti Raj, Vinod B Durdi, "Fast and Low Power Implementation of Ternary ALU," SSRG International Journal of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, vol. 12,  no. 7, pp. 264-273, 2025. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/23488379/IJEEE-V12I7P119

Abstract:

A ternary ALU is an Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) that operates in a ternary (base-3) number system as opposed to the traditional binary (base-2) number system. In contrast to a binary ALU, which only processes 0s and 1s, a ternary ALU (Trit rather than bit) processes three possible values per digit. Every Trit contains more than a bit of information. For some ternary processes, utilizing fewer logic gates can reduce energy consumption. Trits represent the values of 0, 1, or 2 (an imbalanced ternary), making them efficient. A ternary ALU performs arithmetic and logical operations using ternary logic gates and ternary arithmetic circuits. The Ternary ALU is designed using forced-stack multi-threshold MOSFETS. On five-digit ternary data, operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and Trit-wise AND, OR, NAND, NOR, XOR, and NOT are carried out. To guarantee the least amount of energy usage, power analysis is done. Nevertheless, it only consumes 81.4% of the power, proving the effectiveness of low-power design techniques. Also, comparing ternary multipliers to binary multipliers, the performance analysis reveals a switching speed gain of roughly 5.35%. Cadence Virtuoso is used in the design and implementation of the ternary logic gates and circuits using 45nm technology.

Keywords:

Low power, Forced Stack Multi Threshold Transistors (FSMT), Ternary, Decoder, Logic Gates, Arithmetic Unit, Logic Unit.

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