ECE 474- VLSI System Design

Catalog Description: Introduction to custom and semi-custom digital integrated circuit design as used in VLSI systems. The use of CAD/CAE tools, design management, and design methodology are introduced.

Prerequisites:

By course: ECE 323 and ECE 375.
By topic: Basic digital logic operation, State machine synthesis and analysis, Hierarchical design, CMOS circuit behavior.

Courses that require this as a prerequisite: none

Credits: 4 Terms Offered: Spring

Instructors:

Primary: R. Traylor
Secondary: W. Shiue

Textbook: Application Specific Integrated Circuits, M. J. S. Smith, Addison-Wesley, 1997, ISBN 0-201-50022-1

Course Learning Objectives:
Students must demonstrate the ability to:

1. Hierarchically partition a large digital system into modules ready for implementation.
   (ABET Outcomes: a, c, e)
2. Write a clear and concise design specification for a large digital system.
   (ABET Outcomes: g)
3. Design and synthesize to gate-level, a large digital system. (ABET Outcomes: b, c, k)
4. Simulate and show correct behavior for a large digital design
   by means of a HDL testbench at RTL and gate level. (ABET Outcomes: b, k)
5. Apply necessary CAD tools to create large digital systems using a design description language.
   (ABET Outcomes: a, k)

Topics

• Top Down design methodology.
• Design description using HDLs.
• Synthesis of HDLs.
• Meeting timing specifications during and after synthesis.
• I/O issues: signaling, simultaneous switching, transmission lines.
• Clock skew and distribution.

Structure: Two 100 minute lectures per week.

Original: 4/01
Revised: 9/01