BDD-based synthesis of reversible logic for large functions

• Published in: 2009 46th ACM/IEEE Design Automation Conference pp. 270 - 275
• Main Authors: Wille, Robert, Drechsler, Rolf
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY, USA ACM 26.07.2009; IEEE
• Series: ACM Conferences
• Subjects: Binary decision diagrams; Boolean functions; Circuit synthesis; Data structures; Decision Diagrams; DNA computing; Hardware > Integrated circuits > Logic circuits; Logic design; Optical computing; Optical design; Quantum computing; Quantum Logic; Reversible Logic; Runtime; Synthesis; synthesis; quantum logic; reversible logic; decision diagrams
• ISBN: 9781605584973; 1605584975
• ISSN: 0738-100X
• DOI: 10.1145/1629911.1629984

Reversible logic is the basis for several emerging technologies such as quantum computing, optical computing, or DNA computing and has further applications in domains like low-power design and nanotechnologies. However, current methods for the synthesis of reversible logic are limited, i.e. they are applicable to relatively small functions only. In this paper, we propose a synthesis approach, that can cope with Boolean functions containing more than a hundred of variables. We present a technique to derive reversible circuits for a function given by a Binary Decision Diagram (BDD). The circuit is obtained using an algorithm with linear worst case behavior regarding run-time and space requirements. Furthermore, the size of the resulting circuit is bounded by the BDD size. This allows to transfer theoretical results known from BDDs to reversible circuits. Experiments show better results (with respect to the circuit cost) and a significantly better scalability in comparison to previous synthesis approaches.