ALGORITHMS FOR VLSI DESIGN AUTOMATION DESIGN METHODOLOGIES AND SURVEY OF TOOLS

THE VLSI DESIGN PROBLEM

Realize a given specification on silicon, optimizing the following entities: * area (yield) * power dissipation * speed * design time * testability Optimization cannot be done in one step partition problem and optimize subproblems.
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ALGORITHMS FOR VLSI DESIGN AUTOMATION DESIGN METHODOLOGIES AND SURVEY OF TOOLS

HIERARCHY AND ABSTRACTION

Hierarchy: something is composed of simpler things Abstraction: when looking at a certain level, you dont need to know all details of the lower levels.

March 25, 1999

ALGORITHMS FOR VLSI DESIGN AUTOMATION DESIGN METHODOLOGIES AND SURVEY OF TOOLS
A A B E F M G H I C K J L D N O J E F G H I M N O Level 4 K L A A B C
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ALGORITHMS FOR VLSI DESIGN AUTOMATION DESIGN METHODOLOGIES AND SURVEY OF TOOLS

DESIGN DOMAINS
Design domains: * behavioral: black box view * structural: interconnection of subblocks * physical: layout properties Each design domain has its own hierarchy.

March 25, 1999

ALGORITHMS FOR VLSI DESIGN AUTOMATION DESIGN METHODOLOGIES AND SURVEY OF TOOLS

GAJSKIS Y-CHART
BEHAVIORAL DOMAIN Systems Algorithms Register transfers Logic Transfer functions STRUCTURAL DOMAIN Processors ALUs, RAM, etc. Gates, flip-flops, etc. Transistors Transistor layout Cell layout Module layout Floor plans Physical partitions PHYSICAL DOMAIN
March 25, 1999

ALGORITHMS FOR VLSI DESIGN AUTOMATION DESIGN METHODOLOGIES AND SURVEY OF TOOLS

TOP-DOWN STRUCTURAL DESIGN

BEHAVIORAL DOMAIN Systems Algorithms Register transfers Logic Transfer functions STRUCTURAL DOMAIN Processors ALUs, RAM, etc. Gates, flip-flops, etc. Transistors Transistor layout Cell layout Module layout Floor plans Physical partitions PHYSICAL DOMAIN
March 25, 1999

ALGORITHMS FOR VLSI DESIGN AUTOMATION DESIGN METHODOLOGIES AND SURVEY OF TOOLS

DESIGN ACTIONS
Synthesis: increasing information about the design by providing more detail (within the same or another design domain). Verification: checking whether a synthesis step has left the specification intact. Analysis: collecting information on the quality of the design. Optimization: increasing the quality of the design by rearrangements in a given description. Design Management: storage of design data, cooperation between tools, design flow, etc.
March 25, 1999

ALGORITHMS FOR VLSI DESIGN AUTOMATION DESIGN METHODOLOGIES AND SURVEY OF TOOLS

DESIGN METHODS
Can the designer control the shape of all mask patterns? * Yes full-custom fabrication * No semi-custom fabrication, e.g. gate array, sea of gates Can the designer specify the design up to the level of individual transistors? * Yes full-custom design * No semi-custom design e.g. by means of standard cells, module generators, etc. SPECIFIC DESIGN METHODS REQUIRE SPECIFIC CAD TOOLS!
March 25, 1999

ALGORITHMS FOR VLSI DESIGN AUTOMATION DESIGN METHODOLOGIES AND SURVEY OF TOOLS

DESIGN ISSUES AND TOOLS

System-level design: * Partitioning into hardware and software, co-design, co-simulation, etc. * Cost estimation, design-space exploration Algorithmic-level design: * Behavioral descriptions (e.g. in VHDL) * High-level simulation From algorithms to hardware modules: * High-level (or architectural) synthesis
March 25, 1999

ALGORITHMS FOR VLSI DESIGN AUTOMATION DESIGN METHODOLOGIES AND SURVEY OF TOOLS

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DESIGN ISSUES AND TOOLS (Ctd.)

Logic design: * Schematic entry * Register-transfer level and logic synthesis * Gate-level simulation (functionality, power) * Timing analysis * Formal verification Transistor-level design: * Switch-level simulation * Circuit simulation

March 25, 1999

ALGORITHMS FOR VLSI DESIGN AUTOMATION DESIGN METHODOLOGIES AND SURVEY OF TOOLS

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DESIGN ISSUES AND TOOLS (Ctd.)

Layout design: * Floorplanning * Module and cell generation * Placement and routing * Layout editing: symbolic and at mask level * Layout compaction * Design-rule checking * Layout extraction Design management: * Data bases, frame works, etc.
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ALGORITHMS FOR VLSI DESIGN AUTOMATION DESIGN METHODOLOGIES AND SURVEY OF TOOLS

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SILICON COMPILATION
Analogy with compilers for programming languages: from algorithm to machine instructions In VLSI: from algorithm to mask patterns Current practice: * this ideal is approached more and more (e.g. VHDL synthesis); * still far away from a single push-button operation.

March 25, 1999