Question

need it as copy text

Explain the digital integrated-circuit design process and how it is applied to micro
architectures, available design methods and tools?

Answer 1

• Digital integrated-circuit design process:

o Basic design steps are as follows:

o

o Integrated circuit deploys only few discrete states of transistors.

o Digital integrated circuits nowadays consist of billions of transistors with very large scale integrity (VLSI).

o Digital IC design refer to production of components such as micro process, memories (RAM, ROM and FLASH), FPGA, ASIC, SOC, NOC and MPSOCs.

o Digital design mostly focuses on

• logical correctness
• maximizing circuit density
• Placing circuits in a way so that clock and timing signals can be routed efficiently.

o Digital integrated circuit design flow can be categorized into three main sub domains,

• System design
• RTL design
• physical design

o Fabrication process that is common for both digital and analog circuits design. design flow can be classified as three separated design perceptions:

• Front-Design-System Design and RTL design
• Back end Design-Physical Design

• Micro architectures of digital integrated-circuit:

o the micro architecture defines how the block will be implemented in between the specification and RTL

o The micro architecture implements the specification and defines specific mechanisms and structures for achieving that implementation.

o Example: For Block A, the designer created a micro architecture and partitioned his block into several smaller modules.

o The micro architecture is typically based on a block in the specification.

o

o For chip design, the micro-architecture is the reference model the designers uses to

• Block Design
• Specify the intellectual property used
• Specify the new logic to be created
• Specify the block-level interfaces
• Partition the block into more functional blocks
• Communicate interfaces and requirements with other block designers
• Measure actual performance versus specified targets
• Available design methods:

o There are two types of design methodology:

• Top-down design:
  • it follows splitting design approach which breaks a complex algorithm or a problem into smaller segments called modules, this process is also called as modularization.
• Bottom-up design:
  • it approach follows the merging design approach which combines the smaller sub-module into the larger complex module.
  • Models are built from simple components connected.

o This method allows digital Integrated circuit to be specified at various levels ranging from behavioral, functional, cell to transistor level.

• Tools:
  • The simulation environment provides the capability to perform full chip simulation and verification using the unified multilevel mixed-mode simulator MOTIS3/GSIM.
  • the digital portions can be simulated in various modes.
  • The MOTIS3/GSIM simulator is event driven and uses circuit simulation techniques to provide accuracy.