Authors: Mr Sandeep Tandon
Abstract: Digital comparators are fundamental building blocks in arithmetic and control processing units, forming an essential component of ALUs, microprocessors, DSP modules, and embedded logic devices. Traditional 4-bit comparators offer a limited operational range, and real-time digital systems require scalable multi-bit comparison architectures. This paper presents a modular, cascaded comparator design methodology that extends a basic 4-bit comparator to 8-bit and 16-bit architectures using MATLAB/Simulink. The work proposes a structured cascading mechanism using hierarchical decision logic (GT, EQ, LT propagation) and evaluates performance through extensive simulation-based analysis. Functional verification, simulation timing behavior, switching activity estimation, and scalability evaluation are conducted. Results demonstrate that the proposed comparator architecture maintains accuracy, modularity, and linear scalability, making it suitable for integration into FPGA, ASIC, and real-time embedded systems.
