Vlsi Design Lecture Notes
Ogier Dudley
EE272A will introduce you to the tools and methods to create CMOS integrated circuits. Working in teams you will create a small mixed-signal VLSI design using a modern design flow and EDA tools. The project involves writing a synthesizable C++ model of the chip, using high level synthesis tools to convert it into Verilog, creating a testing/debug strategy for your chip, wrapping custom layout to fit into a standard cell system, using synthesis and place and route tools to create the layout, and understanding all the weird stuff you need to do to tape-out a chip. Useful for anyone who will build a chip in their Ph.D.
This is a project based course, and there is a lot of material that we need to cover in a quarter. As a result you will be introduced to a number of new tools that you will learn through weekly tasks to build your project. The project will involve building a large digital design (a neural network accelerator) and an analog design (a phase-locked loop (PLL)) from scratch. We recommend forming teams of two for all homework.
The lecture notes are the main reference material that you will use in the class. While the notes will cover the material in the class, they will not be as complete as the information that you would find in a textbook.To get additional information and/or an alternative explanation of the material in the notes, you can refer to these textbooks:
Kahng, Lienig, Markov, Hu, VLSI Physical Design
Weste, Harris, Principles of CMOS VLSI Design (4th Edition)
Rabaey, Chandrakasan, Nikolic, Digital Integrated Circuits (2nd Edition)
Course recordings can be accessed by logging into the course Canvas site. These recordings might be reused in other Stanford courses, viewed by other Stanford students, faculty, or staff, or used for other education and research purposes. Note that while the recording will mostly capture instructor slides and video, occasionally a part of your image or voice might be incidentally captured. If you have questions, please contact a member of the teaching team.
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Teams of 2-4 students collaborate on large real-world VSLI design projects, focusing on either FPGA system-on-chip embedded applications or ASIC layouts. Previous student project applications include: IoT, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Computer Vision, Audio/Video media, Communications, Robotics, Gaming, and much more. Projects will cover the full hardware & software development cycle, including design specification, implementation, and verification. Emphasis is placed on design practice, underlying algorithms, and optimizations for speed, area, and power.
LABORATORY USAGE: All students will pursue a complex, group engineering design project, focused around VSLI/CAD applications. Students will typically require the use of VSLI and CAD tools on Unix or PC platforms. ASIC projects will primarily focus around the Cadence Virtuoso tool suite, available in the Wilkinson lab. FPGA projects will utilize the Intel FPGA tool suite and the Mentor Graphics tools, available to download on their laptops or in the CG50 lab. Altera DE2 and DE10-Nano boards are available for FPGA projects, along with various peripherals available in CG50.
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Knowledge of the fundamental digital circuits to realize logic gates and the main digital building blocks, including combinatory and sequential circuits. Development of the main analysis and design strategies for the digital circuits.
1. Knowledge and understanding - Knowledge and understaning: the student will be able to understand the implemntation and the behavior of the various digital circuit, not limited to teh ones treated in the course.
2. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding - Applying Knowledge and understaning: the student will be able to analyze and design digital circuits regardless the technology adopted.
4. Communication and learning skills: Upon completion of the course, the student is expected to acquire the ability to convey the knowledge acquired to their interlocutors in a clear and complete way and will also be able to rework the knowledge to extend it to situations not explicitly addressed, being also able to learn independently.
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