Page 387 - A Practical Guide from Design Planning to Manufacturing

Glossary

1T cell A dynamic memory cell made from a single transistor and capable of
storing a single bit of data. This cell is the basis of DRAM memory.
1U server A rack-mountable computer server 1.75 in in height.
2U server A rack-mountable computer server 3.5 in in height.
Abort exception An exception that prevents a computer program from con-
tinuing execution.
Accumulator The name commonly used in early computer architectures for
the register to which computational results are directed by default.
Active power The power consumed by an integrated circuit due to the switch-
ing of voltages. This power is directly proportional to clock frequency.
ADL Architectural description language.
Advanced graphics port (AGP) A graphics bus standard based on the early
PCI standard.

Advanced technology attachment (ATA) A storage bus standard based on a
16-bit bus.
Advanced technology extended (ATX) The most widely used form factor spec-
ifying the physical size and power connectors of a motherboard.

AGP Advanced graphics port.
Amdahl’s law A relationship named after Gene Amdahl for calculating per-
formance improvement of a computer system. Amdahl’s law states that if
speedup S is applied to a task occupying fraction F of the total execution time,
the overall speed up will be 1/(1 − F + F/S).
AND A logic function that is only true if all its inputs are true.
Anisotropic etch An etch that proceeds in only one direction.
APCVD Atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition.
Architectural description language (ADL) A computer programming language
designed to model computer architecture.
Architectural extension Specialized instructions added to an already existing
computer architecture.
Assembler A program for converting assembly language code into machine
language.

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