In logic families like
TTL,
NMOS,
PMOS and
CMOS, an AND gate is built from a
NAND gate followed by an
inverter. In the CMOS implementation above, transistors T1-T4 realize the NAND gate and transistors T5 and T6 the inverter. The need for an inverter makes AND gates less efficient than NAND gates. AND gates can also be made from discrete components and are readily available as
integrated circuits in several different
logic families.
Analytical representation f(a,b)=a*b is the analytical representation of AND gate: • f(0,0)=0*0=0 • f(0,1)=0*1=0 • f(1,0)=1*0=0 • f(1,1)=1*1=1
Alternatives If no specific AND gates are available, one can be made from
NAND or
NOR gates, because NAND and NOR gates are "universal gates" meaning that they can be used to make all the others.
AND gates with multiple inputs AND gates with multiple inputs are designated with the same symbol, with more lines leading in. While direct implementations with more than four inputs are possible in logic families like
CMOS, these are inefficient. More efficient implementations use a cascade of
NAND and
NOR gates, as shown in the picture on the right below. This is more efficient than the cascade of AND gates shown on the left. 12 input AND gate via cascade of AND gates.svg|A 12-input AND gate realized as a cascade of AND gates 12-input AND gate from NAND and NOR.svg|12-input AND gate made from 3 NAND and 1 NOR gate == See also ==