Design and Implementation of
VLSI Systems
(EE415)
lecture01
[sources: Weste/Addison Wesley – Rabaey Pearson]
Lecture 01: the big picture
• Introduction
• Brief Tour of VLSI Design and Implementation
• Class logistics
Objectives of the class
• A VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration) system integrates
millions of “electronic components” in a small area (few
mm2  few cm2).
• Class objective: Learn how to design “efficient” VLSI
systems that implement required functionalities.
• What are the design metrics?
• Circuit Speed / Performance
• Power consumption
• Design Area
• Yield
What are VLSI systems composed of?
1.Transistors
2. Wires
nMOS
=
+
design
pMOS
Circuits
CMOS logic gates
How does an IC look like from the inside?
wires
transistors
R. Noyce
J. Kilby
Technology scaling
If a pond lily doubles everyday and it takes 30 days to completely
cover a pond, on what day will the pond be 1/2 covered?
Moore’s Law. The number of transistors in an integrated
circuit doubles every 2 years.
Quad core
from Intel:
~600 million
transistors in
286 mm2
Feature sizes
Human Hair
~75 m
.
.
0.18 m
180 nm
feature
~40,000 (65-nm node) transistors could fit on cross-section
[C. Keast]
Why should you learn about VLSI systems?
• They are ubiquitous in our daily lives
(computers/iPods/TVs/Cars/…/etc).
 EN160 can help you understand the devices you use.
• The market for VLSI systems (and semiconductors) is
worth $250 billion dollars.
 EE415 can help you get a decent job after graduation (or you
can even start your own company).
• VLSI design and analysis is fun!?
Biggest semiconductor companies
Lecture 01: the big picture
• Introduction
• Brief Tour of VLSI Design and Implementation
• Class logistics
What does it take to design VLSI systems? Same
engineering principles you learned so far
1. idea (need)
3. design
system
4. analyze/
model
system
if satisfactory
2. write
specifications
5. Fabrication
6. test / work
as modeled?
1. Applications / Ideas
2. Specifications
• Instruction set
• Interface (I/O pins)
• Organization of the system
• Functionality of each unit in
the and how it to
communicate to other unit
3/4. Design and Analysis
VHDL / Verilog / SystemC
compilation/
synthesis
mask layout patterns
find wire routes
design schematics
device layout
• Design development is facilitated using Computer-Aided Design
(CAD) tools
5. Fabrication
tapeout
mask layout patterns
mask writer
masks
printing
test and
packaging
dice
chip
die
wafer
6. Evaluate design and compare to model.
• Check signal integrity
• Power consumption
• Input/output behavior
• Does the chip function as it is
supposed to be?
• Does it work at desired clock
frequency? (can we overclock?)
board
What are we going to cover in this class?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Overview of VLSI CMOS fabrication
MOS transistor theory
VLSI Layout design
Circuit analysis and performance estimation
Computer-aided design and analysis tools
Combinational and sequential circuit design
Memory systems
A nice design project if possible ?
Textbooks
Recommended
Additional
Grading
•
•
•
•
8 % Homeworks,Quiz….
40% Midterms
12% Micro Design Project
40% Final exam