7400 Series - 7400 Series Derivative Families

7400 Series Derivative Families

7400 series parts were constructed using bipolar transistors, forming what is referred to as transistor–transistor logic or TTL. Newer series, more or less compatible in function and logic level with the original parts, use CMOS technology or a combination of the two (BiCMOS). Originally the bipolar circuits provided higher speed but consumed more power than the competing 4000 series of CMOS devices. Bipolar devices are also limited to a fixed power supply voltage, typically 5 V, while CMOS parts often support a range of supply voltages.

Milspec-rated devices for use in extended temperature conditions are available as the 5400 series. Texas Instruments also manufactured radiation-hardened devices with the prefix RSN, and the company offered beam-lead bare dies for integration into hybrid circuits with a BL prefix designation.

Regular speed TTL parts were also available for a time in the 6400 series - these had an extended industrial temperature range of −40 C to +85 C. While companies such as Mullard listed 6400-series compatible parts in 1970 data sheets, by 1973 there was no mention of the 6400 family in the Texas Instruments TTL Data Book. Some companies have also offered industrial extended temperature range variants using the regular 7400 series part numbers with a prefix or suffix to indicate the temperature grade.

As integrated circuits in the 7400 series were made in different technologies, usually compatibility was retained with the original TTL logic levels and power supply voltages. An integrated circuit made in CMOS is not a TTL chip since it uses field-effect transistors (FETs) and not bipolar junction transistors, but similar part numbers are retained to identify similar logic functions and electrical (power and I/O voltage) compatibility in the different subfamilies. Over 40 different logic subfamilies use this standardized part number scheme.

• Bipolar
  • 74 - the "standard TTL" logic family had no letters between the "74" and the specific part number.
  • 74L - Low power (compared to the original TTL logic family), very slow
  • H - High speed (still produced but generally superseded by the S-series, used in 1970s era computers)
  • S - Schottky (obsolete)
  • LS - Low Power Schottky
  • AS - Advanced Schottky
  • ALS - Advanced Low Power Schottky
  • F - Fast (faster than normal Schottky, similar to AS)
• CMOS
  • C - CMOS 4–15 V operation similar to buffered 4000 (4000B) series
  • HC - High speed CMOS, similar performance to LS, 12 nS
  • HCT - High speed, compatible logic levels to bipolar parts
  • AC - Advanced CMOS, performance generally between S and F
  • AHC - Advanced High-Speed CMOS, three times as fast as HC
  • ALVC - Low voltage - 1.65 to 3.3 V, Time Propagation Delay (TPD) 2 nS
  • AUC - Low voltage - 0.8 to 2.7 V, TPD < 1.9 nS@1.8 V
  • FC - Fast CMOS, performance similar to F
  • LCX - CMOS with 3 V supply and 5 V tolerant inputs
  • LVC - Low voltage – 1.65 to 3.3 V and 5 V tolerant inputs, tpd < 5.5 nS@3.3 V, tpd < 9 nS@2.5 V
  • LVQ - Low voltage - 3.3 V
  • LVX - Low voltage - 3.3 V with 5 V tolerant inputs
  • VHC - Very High Speed CMOS - 'S' performance in CMOS technology and power
• BiCMOS
  • BCT - BiCMOS, TTL-compatible input thresholds, used for buffers
  • ABT - Advanced BiCMOS, TTL-compatible input thresholds, faster than ACT and BCT

Many parts in the CMOS HC, AC, and FC families are also offered in "T" versions (HCT, ACT, and FCT) which have input thresholds that are compatible with both TTL and 3.3 V CMOS signals. The non-T parts have conventional CMOS input thresholds. The ACTQ family introduced by Fairchild utilizes Quiet Series technology to guarantee quiet output switching and improved dynamic threshold performance. FACT Quiet Series features GTO output control and undershoot corrector in addition to a split ground bus for superior performance. The 74H family is the same basic design as the 7400 family with resistor values reduced. This reduced the typical propagation delay from 9 ns to 6 ns but increased the power consumption. The 74H family provided a number of unique devices for CPU designs in the 1970s. Many designers of military and aerospace equipment used this family over a long period and as they need exact replacements, this family is still produced by Lansdale Semiconductor.

The 74S family, using Schottky circuitry, uses more power than the 74, but is faster. The 74LS family of ICs is a lower-power version of the 74S family, with slightly higher speed but lower power dissipation than the original 74 family; it became the most popular variant once it was widely available.

The 74F family was introduced by Fairchild Semiconductor and adopted by other manufacturers; it is faster than the 74, 74LS and 74S families.

Through the late 1980s and 1990s newer versions of this family were introduced to support the lower operating voltages used in newer CPU devices.