Digital switching noise as a stochastic process

Abstract

Switching activity of logic gates in a system is a deterministic process, depending on both circuit parameters and input signals. However, the huge number of logic blocks in a system makes switching a cognitively stochastic process. Switching activity is the source of the so-called digital noise, which can be analyzed using a stochastic approach. For an asynchronous network, we can model switching currents as a shot noise process, deriving both its amplitude distribution and its power spectral density. From spectral distribution of currents, we can also calculate the spectral distribution and the power of disturbances injected into the on-chip power supply lines.