Flip-flops are sometimes employed in an electronic device to store information between stages of a pipeline, such as an instruction pipeline. However, some flip-flops, such as state-retention flip-flops that are able to retain stored information when the electronic device is placed in a low-power mode, take a relatively large amount of circuit area, and are therefore less desirable for use in the pipeline. Further, such flip-flops can increase the complexity of testing procedures for the pipeline.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds