Low-Power Embedded DSP Core for Communication Systems

This paper proposes a parameterized digital signal processor (DSP) core for an embedded digital signal processing system designed to achieve demodulation/synchronization with better performance and flexibility. The features of this DSP core include parameterized data path, dual MAC unit, subword MAC, and optional function-specific blocks for accelerating communication system modulation operations. This DSP core also has a low-power structure, which includes the gray-code addressing mode, pipeline sharing, and advanced hardware looping. Users can select the parameters and special functional blocks based on the character of their applications and then generating a DSP core. The DSP core has been implemented via a cell-based design method using a synthesizable Verilog code with TSMC 0.35 μm SPQM and 0.25 μm 1P5M library. The equivalent gate count of the core area without memory is approximately 50 k. Moreover, the maximum operating frequency of a 16 × 16 version is 100MHz (0.35 μm) and 140MHz (0.25 μm).