Design and Implementation of VLSI Systems (EN1600) lecture01

1. Design and Implementation of VLSI Systems (EN1600) lecture01 Sherief Reda Division of Engineering, Brown University Spring 2008 [sources: Weste/Addison Wesley – Rabaey Pearson]

2. Introduction Brief Tour of VLSI Design and Implementation Class logistics Lecture 01: the big picture

3. 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? Objectives of the class • Circuit Speed / Performance • Power consumption • Design Area • Yield

4. 1.Transistors 2. Wires nMOS + = design pMOS Circuits CMOS logic gates What are VLSI systems composed of?

5. How does an IC look like from the inside? wires transistors J. Kilby R. Noyce

6. Technology scaling 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 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?

7. 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]

8. 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! Why should you learn about VLSI systems?

9. Biggest semiconductor companies

10. Introduction Brief Tour of VLSI Design and Implementation Class logistics Lecture 01: the big picture

11. 1. idea (need) 2. write specifications 3. design system 4. analyze/ model system if satisfactory 5. Fabrication 6. test / work as modeled? What does it take to design VLSI systems? Same engineering principles you learned so far

12. 1. Applications / Ideas

13. 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

14. VHDL / Verilog / SystemC design schematics compilation/ synthesis device layout mask layout patterns find wire routes 3/4. Design and Analysis • Design development is facilitated using Computer-Aided Design (CAD) tools

15. tapeout mask layout patterns mask writer masks printing test and packaging dice die chip wafer 5. Fabrication

16. 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

17. 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 What are we going to cover in this class?

18. Textbooks Recommended Additional

19. 20% Homeworks 20% Midterm 20% Design Project 40% Final exam Grading

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