異步電路設(shè)計：集成電路設(shè)計之初，并沒有同步和異步的區(qū)別，研究的重點在于“mechanical relay circuits”。70年代后，同步設(shè)計因為概念簡單、設(shè)計方便，逐漸成為設(shè)計的主流方案。在這一時期，異步集成電路的研究僅僅停留在理論上，研究的出發(fā)點也僅僅是它與同步電路不同。90年代初期，同步電路設(shè)計仍然占據(jù)著數(shù)字集成電路設(shè)計領(lǐng)域的主導(dǎo)地位，但是由于電路設(shè)計規(guī)模的擴大和生產(chǎn)工藝的限制，原先可以忽略的互連線之間的延遲、時鐘樹的負載等已經(jīng)變得越發(fā)突出。設(shè)計方法上也面臨著很多難以解決的問題（比如，時鐘skew問題）。這時，異步電路設(shè)計方法重新引起了設(shè)計者的重視，與先前為純粹追求不同的理論而進行的研究已經(jīng)大不相同，在一定程度上，已經(jīng)可以作為實際應(yīng)用中的理論依據(jù)和CAD輔助工具。在應(yīng)用方面，一些面向商業(yè)應(yīng)用的異步集成芯片的出現(xiàn)也有力地證明了異步集成電路在某些方面存在的優(yōu)勢。

異步電路設(shè)計目錄：
Preface
Acknowledgments
1 Introduction
1.1 Problem Specification
1.2 Communication Channels
1.3 Communication Protocols
1.4 Graphical Representations
1.5 Delay-Insensitive Circuits
1.6 Huffman Circuits
1.7 Muller Circuits
1.8 Timed Circuits
1.9 Verification
1.10 Applications
1.11 Let's Get Started
1.12 Sources
Problems
2 Communication Channels
2.1 Basic Structure
2.2 Structural Modeling in VHDL
2.3 Control Structures
2.3.1 Selection
2.3.2 Repetition
2.4 Deadlock
2.5 Probe
2.6 Parallel Communication
2.7 Example: MiniMIPS
2.7.1 VHDL Specification
2.7.2 Optimized MiniMIPS
2.8 Sources
Problems
3 Communication Protocols
3.1 Basic Structure
3.2 Active and Passive Ports
3.3 Handshaking Expansion
3.4 Reshuffling
3.5 State Variable Insertion
3.6 Data Encoding
3.7 Example: Two Wine Shops
3.8 Syntax-Directed Translation
3.9 Sources
Problems
4 Graphical Representations
4.1 Graph Basics
4.2 Asynchronous Finite State Machines
4.2.1 Finite State Machines and Flow Tables
4.2.2 Burst-Mode State Machines
4.2.3 Extended Burst-Mode State Machines
4.3 Petri Nets
4.3.1 Ordinary Petri Nets
4.3.2 Signal Transition Graphs
4.4 Timed Event/Level Structures
4.5 Sources
Problems
5 Huffman Circuits
5.1 Solving Covering Problems
5.1.1 Matrix Reduction Techniques
5.1.2 Bounding
5.1.3 Termination
5.1.4 Branching
5.2 State Minimization
5.2.1 Finding the Compatible Pairs
5.2.2 Finding the Maximal Compatibles
5.2.3 Finding the Prime Compatibles
5.2.4 Setting Up the Covering Problem
5.2.5 Forming the Reduced Flow Table
5.3 State Assignment
5.3.1 Partition Theory and State Assignment
5.3.2 Matrix Reduction Method
5.3.3 Finding the Maximal Intersectibles
5.3.4 Setting Up the Covering Problem
5.3.5 Fed-Back Outputs as State Variables
5.4 Hazard-Free Two-Level Logic Synthesis
5.4.1 Two-Level Logic Minimization
5.4.2 Prime Implicant Generation
5.4.3 Prime Implicant Selection
5.4.4 Combinational Hazards
5.5 Extensions for MIC Operation
5.5.1 Transition Cubes
5.5.2 Function Hazards
5.5.3 Combinational Hazards
5.5.4 Burst-Mode Transitions
5.5.5 Extended Burst-Mode Transitions
5.5.6 State Minimization
5.5.7 State Assignment
5.5.8 Hazard-Free Two-Level Logic Synthesis
5.6 Multilevel Logic Synthesis
5.7 Technology Mapping
5.8 Generalized C-Element Implementation
5.9 Sequential Hazards
5.10 Sources
Problems
6 Muller Circuits
6.1 Formal Definition of Speed Independence
6.1.1 Subclasses of Speed-Independent Circuits
6.1.2 Some Useful Definitions
6.2 Complete State Coding
6.2.1 Transition Points and Insertion Points
6.2.2 State Graph Coloring
6.2.3 Insertion Point Cost Function
6.2.4 State Signal Insertion
6.2.5 Algorithm for Solving CSC Violations
6.3 Hazard-Free Logic Synthesis
6.3.1 Atomic Gate Implementation
6.3.2 Generalized C-Element Implementation
6.3.3 Standard C-Implementation
6.3.4 The Single-Cube Algorithm
6.4 Hazard-Free Decomposition
6.4.1 Insertion Points Revisited
6.4.2 Algorithm for Hazard-Free Decomposition
6.5 Limitations of Speed-Independent Design
6.6 Sources
Problems
7 Timed Circuits
7.1 Modeling Timing
7.2 Regions
7.3 Discrete time
7.4 Zones
7.5 POSET Timing
7.6 Timed Circuits
7.7 Sources
Problems
8 Verification
8.1 Protocol Verification
8.1.1 Linear-Time Temporal Logic
8.1.2 Time-Quantified Requirements
8.2 Circuit Verification
8.2.1 Trace Structures
8.2.2 Composition
8.2.3 Canonical Trace Structures
8.2.4 Mirrors and Verification
8.2.5 Strong Conformance
8.2.6 Timed Trace Theory
8.3 Sources
Problems
9 Applications
9.1 Brief History of Asynchronous Circuit Design
9.2 An Asynchronous Instruction-Length Decoder
9.3 Performance Analysis
9.4 Testing Asynchronous Circuits
9.5 The Synchronization Problem
9.5.1 Probability of Synchronization Failure
9.5.2 Reducing the Probability of Failure
9.5.3 Eliminating the Probab