Temporal Specifications of Self·Timed Systems

Self-timed logic provides a method for managing the complexity of asynchronous module connections; the correctness of a properly constructed self-timed system is independent of the speed of its components. In this paper we present a means of formally specifying self-timed systems and modules using temporal logic, an extension of ordinary logic to include an abstract notion of time. We show by example that temporal logic can describe Seitz’s self-timed modules, giving detailed specifications for combinatory logic, and sketching the treatment of wires, align elements, feedback registers, pipelines and finite state machines. Temporal logic has an expressive power that makes it well suited to this task; it also provides a framework for proofs of the properties of self-timed systems.