ECE 4740

Introduction to Digital (VLSI) Design

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2021-2022 Catalog.

Course is equal parts analytical and real-world practical design. Analytical topics include basic transistor physics, switching behavior of transistors, interconnect modelling, combinational and sequential logic, memories, timing analysis, optimization, computer arithmetic, and architecture transforms. Practical topics include routing strategies, floor planning and other application/specification-driven decision-making considerations for the multi-variate CMOS digital design space. Emphasis will be on full-custom design using Cadence. Supervised access to Phillips 314 will be offered, but course can be completed remotely. 

Prerequisites/Corequisites Prerequisite: ECE 3150.

Outcomes

• Design digital circuits from concept to schematic to layout.
• Use state-of-the-art CAD software (Cadence Virtuoso and Synopsys Design Compiler) to simulate, optimize, and verify digital circuits.
• Develop strong analytical and engineering-decision-making intuition.

When Offered Fall, Spring.

Comments Culminating design experience (CDE) course.

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