• JSTS:Journal of Semiconductor Technology and Science
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.477-483
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• 2015

The k-Winners-Take-All (kWTA) is an operation to find the largest k (>1) inputs among N inputs. Parallel search algorithm of kWTA for digital inputs is not invented yet, so most of digital kWTA architectures have O(N) time complexity. A parallel search algorithm for digital kWTA operation and the circuits for its VLSI implementation are presented in this paper. The proposed kWTA architecture can compare all inputs simultaneously in parallel. The time complexity of the new architecture is O(logN), so that it is scalable to a large number of digital data. The high-speed kWTA operation and its O(logN) dependency of the new architecture are verified by simulations. It takes 290 ns in searching for 5 winners among 1024 of 32 bit data, which is more than thousands of times faster than existing digital kWTA circuits, as well as existing analog kWTA circuits.

• JSTS:Journal of Semiconductor Technology and Science
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.177-183
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• 2015

A high speed VLSI digital Winner-Take-All (WTA) circuit called simultaneous digital WTA (SDWTA) circuit is presented in this paper. A minimized comparison-cell (w-cell) is developed to reduce the size and to achieve high-speed. The w-cell which is suitable for VLSI implementation consists of only four transistors. With a minimized comparison-cell structure SDWTA can compare thousands of data simultaneously. SDWTA is scalable with O(mlog n) time-complexity for n of m-bit data. According to simulations, it takes 16.5 ns with $1.2V-0.13{\mu}m$ process technology in finding a winner among 1024 of 16-bit data.