Glossary

Combinational logic

Beginner

Circuitry whose output depends only on its inputs right now, with no memory.

Novice

Logic with no memory: its output depends only on its inputs at that moment. Adders, comparators and multiplexers (circuits that pick one of several inputs) are examples. In SystemVerilog it is written with always_comb or assign.

Expert

Everything between flip-flops. Signals take time to ripple through it, and the slowest path between two flops sets the shortest usable clock period. How the RTL is written (chains of if/else, operator order, bit widths) shapes what synthesis can build from it.

Explained in RTL design (Design Flow).

See also: Flip-flop (register), Critical path.

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