CMOS NAND gate 2026-10-31
A static CMOS implementation of a NAND gate has a pull-down network of NMOS transistors in series and a pull-up network of PMOS transistors in parallel. With inputs it uses devices of each kind. All inputs high connect the output to ground; any low input breaks the pull-down path and connects the output to the positive supply through its corresponding p-channel device.
Complementary CMOS network duality Created 2026-10-25 Updated 2026-10-31
For an NMOS transistor network described by a series-parallel expression in conducting inputs, replace series by parallel, parallel by series, and each device by a PMOS transistor driven by the same input. De Morgan's laws show recursively that the resulting pull-up network conducts exactly when the original pull-down network does not. This proves complementary rail connections for stable binary inputs in the ideal static model. Factoring a Boolean function before constructing its dual can remove duplicated devices: needs three lower and three upper devices, instead of four of each. Physical switching transients, device sizing and delays are additional engineering questions.
NMOS transistor 2026-10-25
In the ideal digital switch model, an enhancement-mode NMOS transistor controlled by a high gate signal conducts, and a low gate signal disconnects its channel. Series devices implement logical conjunction of conducting conditions; parallel devices implement logical disjunction. An NMOS transistor pull-down network connects a CMOS output to the low supply rail.
For a CMOS inverter, connect one PMOS transistor from the positive supply to the output and one NMOS transistor from the output to ground; drive both gates with the input . When , the PMOS transistor conducts and the NMOS transistor is off; when , the reverse holds. Thus the output is , using two transistors.
For a four-input NAND gate, use four NMOS transistors in series between the output and ground, with gates . Use four PMOS transistors in parallel between and the output, with the same gate signals. The pull-down network conducts exactly when all four inputs are one; the pull-up network conducts whenever at least one input is zero. HenceAs usual for static CMOS, tie the NMOS transistor bodies to ground and the PMOS transistor bodies to .
A more economical static CMOS design follows from factoring the condition for . The output is low exactly when both input pairs disagree:Generate with four CMOS inverters. Write or for an NMOS transistor or PMOS transistor whose gate receives . In the following network expressions, a dash means a series connection and means a parallel connection.
Connect this eight-device pull-down network between and ground:The first parallel module conducts exactly when and the second exactly when . Their series connection therefore conducts precisely when should be zero.
By complementary CMOS network duality, connect this eight-device pull-up network between and :A PMOS transistor conducts when its gate is zero. Consequently the first upper branch conducts when , namely ; the second conducts when . Their parallel connection gives the required logical disjunction. For every stable binary input, exactly one of the pull-up network and pull-down network conducts.
Complementary CMOS networks: eight PMOS transistors above the output and eight NMOS transistors below it
. Details. The figure labels each MOSFET channel by its gate signal; the four input CMOS inverters are additional to the devices drawn.
Pull-down network 2026-10-25
A pull-down network connects a logic output to the low supply rail when its conducting condition holds. In static complementary CMOS, it is built from NMOS transistors; its conducting condition is the negation of the desired output Boolean function.
Pull-up network 2026-10-25
A pull-up network connects a logic output to the high supply rail when its conducting condition holds. In static complementary CMOS, it is built from PMOS transistors and paired with a complementary pull-down network.
