Content of course “VLSI Digital Circuit Design - Lecture”:
This course aims at the design perspective of CMOS circuits, exploring the various logic circuit implementation techniques. The course will cover:
1. Basic MOS logic devices. Structure and parameters of MOS transistors. Enhancement channel and depletion transistors. Calculation of circuit and parasitic elements. Influence of device geometry. The noise margin. Inverter types. Transmission gate. Three-state output
2. Manufacturing technologies of CMOS circuits and design rules. n-well CMOS process. Advanced CMOS circuit manufacturing technologies. Layout design rules
3. Physical design of CMOS circuits and logic gates. Examples.
4. Performance analysis of CMOS circuits. Switching characteristics. The parameters that influence the working speed of the circuits. Propagation of signals. Design techniques for controlling large capacitive loads. Determination of parasitic capacities and resistances.
5. Physical design of CMOS circuits. CMOS layout design techniques. CMOS inverter. Physical design of logic gates. Complex CMOS gates. Examples of physical design of CMOS circuits
6. The design of combinational logic circuits. Complementary CMOS logic. Dynamic logic. C2MOS logic. CMOS domino logic
7. Designing sequential logic circuits. Implementation of sequential VLSI circuits. Propagation errors in sequential systems. Elimination of propagation errors. Logic structures with a clock. Memory structures with a clock. Multi-phase structures
8. Signal propagation problems in VLSI digital circuits. Synchronous and asynchronous circuits. Designing synchronous circuits. Circuits with their own clock. Synchronization of asynchronous signals using PLL loops. Trends in modern design
9. Examples of circuits made with VLSI CMOS structures. Parity circuits, decoders, etc. ALU units. Synchronous sequential circuits with synchronous and asynchronous counters. Synchronous sequential circuits with registers. Programmable circuits made in VLSI CMOS technology. ROM memories. RAM memories. Programmable logical areas. PLA and PAL applications
10. Arithmetic circuits made in VLSI technology. adders, subtractors, multipliers, shift registers. Improving the performance of high-capacity arithmetic circuits.
11. Designing memories and logical areas. Memory architectures. Memory cell structures. Peripheral circuits in the memory structure. Dissipated power. Case studies.
12. Low power digital VLSI circuits and systems. The problem power consumption. Specific problems in the design of low power circuits. Techniques for reducing the power dissipated in digital circuits.
13. Simulation of VLSI circuits. Using the Mentor Graphics design environment. Using the AMD (Xilinx) design environment.
14. Testing of integrated digital systems. Design requirements for testing. Retention techniques. Errors in CMOS digital circuits. Testing of combinational and sequential circuits
Content of “VLSI Digital Circuit Design - Lab”:
1. Introduction to the design and simulation environments used at the laboratory
2. Examples of simulating simple blocks
3. Layout package and Caliber xRC extraction – examples for some elementary gates
4. Simulation of signal propagation through combinational circuits
5. Basic cells in fractional frequency dividers - programmable integer divider
6. Basic cells in fractional frequency dividers - rate multipliers
7. Basic cells in fractional frequency dividers - pulse extractors ("pulse swallower")
8. Functional simulation of the fractional divisor. Layout elements
9. Advanced arithmetic circuit structures – advanced 1-bit adders
10. 8-bit full adder - case study and hybrid realization with propagation and carry anticipation
11. 8-bit full adder – layout elements
12. Signal propagation through digital circuits: the study of delays and logical hazard
13. Optimizing the propagation delay through critical paths
14. Circuits with large load capacitances
