Design and Implementation of VLSI Systems

(EN1600)
lecture01
Sherief Reda
Division of Engineering, Brown University
Spring 2008
[sources: Weste/Addison Wesley Rabaey Pearson]
Introduction
Brief Tour of VLSI Design and Implementation
Class logistics

Lecture 01: the big picture
Objectives of the class
A VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration) system integrates
millions of electronic components in a small area (few
mm
2
few cm
2
).
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?
pMOS
nMOS
1.Transistors
CMOS logic gates
+
2. Wires
=

Circuits
design
How does an IC look like from the inside?
transistors
wires
R. Noyce J. Kilby
Technology scaling
Moores Law. The number of transistors in an integrated
circuit doubles every 2 years.
Quad core
from Intel:
~600 million
transistors in
286 mm
2
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?
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.
EN160 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
Introduction
Brief Tour of VLSI Design and Implementation
Class logistics

Lecture 01: the big picture
What does it take to design VLSI systems? Same
engineering principles you learned so far
2. write
specifications
1. idea (need)
3. design
system
4. analyze/
model
system
i
f

s
a
t
i
s
f
a
c
t
o
r
y

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
Design development is facilitated using Computer-Aided Design
(CAD) tools
compilation/
synthesis
VHDL / Verilog / SystemC
device layout
find wire routes mask layout patterns
design schematics
5. Fabrication
tapeout
mask writer
masks
wafer
printing
die
dice

mask layout patterns
test and
packaging
chip
6. Evaluate design and compare to model.
board
Does the chip function as it is
supposed to be?
Does it work at desired clock
frequency? (can we overclock?)
Check signal integrity
Power consumption
Input/output behavior
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
Big, nice design project

Textbooks
Recommended Additional
Grading
20% Homeworks
20% Midterm
20% Design Project
40% Final exam

Website
http://ic.engin.brown.edu/classes
Office hours
Lab TA: Mike Kadin