Topic: Digital Circuits
Which of the following conditions reduces the Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) due to metastability?
- A. Decreasing flip-flop setup time
- B. Increasing metastability resolution time
- C. Increasing clock frequency and data arrival rate
- D. All of the above
Answer: C. Increasing clock frequency and data arrival rate
Explanation: The Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) due to metastability is given by $MTBF = \frac{e^{t_r / \tau}}{T_0 f_c f_d}$, where $t_r$ is the available resolution time, $f_c$ is the clock frequency, and $f_d$ is the data toggle frequency. Increasing the clock frequency and data arrival rate increases the denominator, thereby reducing the MTBF (meaning failures happen more frequently, which degrades reliability).