Verification Series Part 7:SystemVerilog Functional Coverage from Udemy

The verification process is becoming complex and time-consuming day by day with advances in the Hardware Description Languages and IPs. HDL has added capabilities that allow the engineer to Design and write Testbench for complex systems. But verifying designer intent and deciding set of right stimuli to meet the Verification plan is not always easy with HDL. Hence System Verilog introduces assertions and Coverage to fulfill this requirement by adding independent constructs to language. SystemVerilog assertions allow us to verify Designer intent in both Temporal and Non-Temporal domains. Functional Coverage act like feedback for the stimulus we are sending to DUT so that we could reach to best stimulus for verifying the plan in the least amount of time.

This course covers the fundamentals of different types of bins viz, Implicit bins, Explicit bins, Wildcard bins, Ignore bins, default bins, illegal bins with a demonstration of each of them in RTL. Fundamentals of Cover group, Reusable Covergroup, and different Sampling methods viz. event, sample() method, and User-defined Sample Method are discussed in detail. Functional Coverage gives us the ability to verify the relation between the signal by using Cross Coverage and detailed discussion on Cross coverage with different combination filtering strategies are covered in detail. Finally, Transition bins provide temporal abilities to Functional Coverage is also discussed in detail with projects demonstrating the usage of Functional Coverage in Verilog and SystemVerilog Testbench.

What's inside

Learning objectives

Usage of functional coverage in verification
Implicit and explicit bins, default bins
Illegal bins, ignore bins, wildcard bins default bins
Covergroup, sampling events, reusable covergroup

Transition bins and cross coverage
Usage of functional coverage in verilog and systemverilog tb
Demonstrations of functional coverage with counters, priority encoders, adders, fifo, spi and few other rtl's

Usage of functional coverage in verification
Implicit and explicit bins, default bins
Illegal bins, ignore bins, wildcard bins default bins
Covergroup, sampling events, reusable covergroup
Transition bins and cross coverage
Usage of functional coverage in verilog and systemverilog tb
Demonstrations of functional coverage with counters, priority encoders, adders, fifo, spi and few other rtl's

Syllabus

Role of Functional Coverage in Chip Design

Agenda

Understanding Verification

Verification Strategies

Verification Approaches

Verification Technologies P1

Verification Technologies P2

IDE and Motivation

Motivation 1 : Knowing how many random values are required to meet Verification

Motivation 2 : Knowing all the Transitions are Covered by SPI

Motivation 3: All the possible combinations are tested during Verification

How to use IDE

Code

Course Framework

A21

Getting Started

Fundamentals

Covergroup without event

Covergroup with event

Understanding Covergroup options part 1

Understanding Covergroup options part 2

Understanding weight

Understanding option and type_option

Turning on / off Coverage with specific conditons

A31

Getting started with bins

Fundamentals of Implicit / automatic bins

Demonstration

Explicit bins P1

Explicit bins P2

Summary : ways to add values to explicit bins

default bins

Summary : Types of bins

Used Case : 4:1 Mux

Used Case : Working with Simple FSM in Verilog

Working with enum

Used Case : Working with Simple FSM in SystemVerilog

A41

A42

bins Filtering

bins filtering : with p1

bins filtering : with p2

Understanding Illegal_bins

Understanding Ignore bins

Advantages of ignore_bins

Ignoring range of values from Coverage

Ignore vs Illegal bins

Empty bins

Wildcard bins

Handling presence of 'X' or 'Z' in Values

Used Case

A51

A52

FAQ 1

Reusable Covergroup

Pass by reference

Pass by Value

Things to remember while working with Generic Covergroup

Used Case I

Used Case II

Sample Methods

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Verification Series Part 7:SystemVerilog Functional Coverage with these activities:

Review Digital Logic Fundamentals

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Reviewing digital logic fundamentals will help you better understand the RTL code used in SystemVerilog and how functional coverage is applied to verify its behavior.

Browse courses on Digital Logic

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Review basic logic gate operations.
Study combinational and sequential circuits.
Practice solving logic design problems.

Read 'Writing Testbenches: Functional Verification of HDL Models' by Janick Bergeron

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Reading this book will provide a deeper understanding of testbench development and verification techniques, complementing the course material.

View Writing Testbenches on Amazon

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Read the chapters on functional coverage and testbench architecture.
Work through the examples provided.
Take notes on key concepts and techniques.

Read 'SystemVerilog for Verification' by Chris Spear

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Reading this book will provide a deeper understanding of SystemVerilog verification concepts and techniques, complementing the course material.

View SystemVerilog for Verification: A Guide to... on Amazon

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Read the chapters on functional coverage.
Work through the examples provided.
Take notes on key concepts and techniques.

Four other activities

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Implement Coverage for a Simple Counter

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Practicing with a simple counter allows you to apply the concepts of functional coverage to a concrete example, reinforcing your understanding.

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Write SystemVerilog code for a counter.
Create a covergroup to track counter values.
Simulate and analyze coverage results.

Write a Blog Post on Cross Coverage Techniques

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Writing a blog post will force you to synthesize your knowledge of cross coverage and explain it in a clear and concise manner.

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Research different cross coverage techniques.
Write a clear and concise explanation of each technique.
Include examples to illustrate the concepts.
Publish the blog post online.

Develop a Coverage-Driven Verification Environment for a FIFO

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Developing a complete verification environment for a FIFO will solidify your understanding of functional coverage and its application to complex designs.

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Design and implement a FIFO in SystemVerilog.
Create a testbench with stimulus generation.
Implement functional coverage to verify FIFO behavior.
Analyze coverage results and refine stimulus.

Help other students in the course discussion forum

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Helping others solidify your understanding of the material.

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Check the discussion forum regularly.
Answer questions from other students.
Explain concepts in your own words.

Career center

Learners who complete Verification Series Part 7:SystemVerilog Functional Coverage will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Verification Engineer

The role of a Verification Engineer is crucial in ensuring the reliability and correctness of hardware designs. Verification engineers create test plans, develop test environments, and execute tests to identify and resolve bugs before a chip goes into production. This course, with its emphasis on SystemVerilog functional coverage, directly helps build a practical understanding of coverage-driven verification, a methodology widely used in the industry. The course's detailed explanation of implicit bins, explicit bins, and reusable covergroups may be useful in creating more efficient and targeted test strategies. By understanding the nuances of functional coverage in SystemVerilog, a Verification Engineer is better equipped to tackle complex verification challenges.

See salaries and explore the career path for Verification Engineer

Hardware Verification Consultant

Hardware Verification Consultants are experts in hardware verification methodologies and provide guidance to companies seeking to improve their verification processes. The detailed study of SystemVerilog functional coverage within this course helps a consultant offer informed recommendations on adopting coverage-driven verification techniques. Knowledge of implicit bins, explicit bins, wildcard bins, and different sampling methods helps the Hardware Verification Consultant tailor solutions to specific project requirements. This course gives the consultant up-to-date information helpful for addressing the nuances of complex verification challenges.

See salaries and explore the career path for Hardware Verification Consultant

Verification Manager

Verification Managers oversee verification teams and are responsible for planning and executing verification strategies. This course can help Verification Managers make informed decisions about adopting coverage-driven verification techniques by thoroughly studying SystemVerilog functional coverage. The knowledge of implicit bins, explicit bins, wildcard bins, and different sampling methods helps the Verification Manager tailor solutions to project needs. This course gives the Verification Manager up-to-date information that can be used to address complex verification challenges.

See salaries and explore the career path for Verification Manager

Digital Design Engineer

Digital Design Engineers are responsible for designing digital circuits and systems. These systems are commonly described in Hardware Description Languages. This course, centered around SystemVerilog functional coverage, directly helps Digital Design Engineers improve their verification skills. The focus on reusable covergroups and different sampling methods helps the Digital Design Engineer create scalable verification environments. With the insights on SystemVerilog assertions and coverage, the Digital Design Engineer is better equipped to deliver high quality designs.

See salaries and explore the career path for Digital Design Engineer

RTL Designer

RTL Designers create Register Transfer Level descriptions of digital circuits, which are then implemented in hardware. RTL Designers are required to write SystemVerilog code for test benches. This course will help these engineers by diving into the details of SystemVerilog including implicit bins, explicit bins, wildcard bins, and transition bins. This course can also help RTL Designers write code to measure cross coverage. By understanding functional coverage, the RTL Designer can verify the quality of their work.

See salaries and explore the career path for RTL Designer

Hardware Development Engineer

Hardware Development Engineers are involved in all stages of hardware development, from design to verification and testing. Hardware Development Engineers will find the study of SystemVerilog functional coverage in this course to be directly applicable to their work. The course's detailed coverage of implicit bins, explicit bins, wildcard bins, and different sampling methods helps the Hardware Development Engineer create comprehensive test plans. This will allow them to effectively identify and resolve bugs.

See salaries and explore the career path for Hardware Development Engineer

FPGA Design Engineer

FPGA Design Engineers develop and implement digital circuits on Field Programmable Gate Arrays. These circuits are commonly described in Hardware Description Languages. This course, centered around SystemVerilog functional coverage, directly helps FPGA Design Engineers improve their verification skills. The focus on reusable covergroups and different sampling methods helps the FPGA Design Engineer create scalable verification environments. With the insights on SystemVerilog assertions and coverage, the FPGA Design Engineer is better equipped to deliver high quality designs.

See salaries and explore the career path for FPGA Design Engineer

Test Automation Engineer

A Test Automation Engineer develops and maintains automated test suites for verifying hardware or software systems. This course helps Test Automation Engineers who are working in hardware verification by providing them the knowledge and tools to automate functional coverage analysis using SystemVerilog. The focus on reusable covergroups and different sampling methods, as taught in this course, may be useful in creating scalable and maintainable test automation frameworks. By learning how to leverage SystemVerilog assertions and coverage, the Test Automation Engineer can play a key role in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the verification process.

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System on a Chip Designer

System on a Chip Designers integrate various hardware and software components into a single chip. Thorough verification is essential to ensure the correct operation of these complex systems. With its comprehensive treatment of SystemVerilog functional coverage, this course helps System on a Chip Designers in developing effective verification strategies. Topics such as implicit bins, explicit bins, and cross coverage are useful in identifying and addressing potential integration issues. Understanding functional coverage enables the System on a Chip Designer to deliver high-quality, integrated systems.

See salaries and explore the career path for System on a Chip Designer

Hardware Design Engineer

The Hardware Design Engineer designs and implements digital circuits and systems. Hardware Design Engineers need to ensure their designs meet specifications, and rigorous verification is a critical part of the design process. With its thorough coverage of SystemVerilog functional coverage, this course may be helpful for Hardware Design Engineers in writing more effective testbenches to verify their designs. The course's coverage of cross coverage and transition bins may be useful in identifying corner-case scenarios and ensure robust designs. A hardware engineer that understands functional coverage is able to design, test, and deliver complex systems involving SystemVerilog.

See salaries and explore the career path for Hardware Design Engineer

Electronic Design Automation Engineer

Electronic Design Automation Engineers develop and support software tools used in the design and verification of electronic systems. These engineers often contribute to the development of new features and improvements in EDA tools related to hardware verification. A comprehensive knowledge of SystemVerilog functional coverage, as provided by this course, helps the EDA Engineer better understand the needs of verification engineers and contribute to the development of more effective EDA tools. The insights into cross coverage, transition bins, and reusable covergroups can inform the design of advanced coverage analysis and reporting features.

See salaries and explore the career path for Electronic Design Automation Engineer

Technical Trainer

Technical Trainers develop and deliver training programs on technical topics. For individuals specializing in hardware verification or SystemVerilog, this course provides the in-depth knowledge and practical examples necessary to create effective training materials. The comprehensive coverage of SystemVerilog functional coverage, including implicit bins, explicit bins, reusable covergroups, and different sampling methods, helps the Technical Trainer to explain complex concepts clearly and concisely. The course's syllabus, which includes demonstrations and use cases, may be useful in structuring training sessions to benefit learners.

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Application Engineer

Application Engineers work with customers to understand their technical needs and provide solutions using their company's products. For those in the semiconductor industry, understanding hardware verification methodologies is valuable. This course may be useful for Application Engineers, in that it provides a solid foundation in SystemVerilog functional coverage, enabling them to better assist customers who are using verification tools and methodologies. Specific topics such as cross coverage and transition bins may be useful for Application Engineers in recommending effective verification strategies. This course may help an Application Engineer explain the advantage of using different functional coverage approaches.

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Firmware Engineer

Firmware Engineers develop low-level software that controls hardware devices. While their primary focus isn't always on hardware verification, understanding the underlying hardware and its verification process can greatly enhance their ability to write robust and reliable firmware. This course may be useful for Firmware Engineers, enabling them to better understand the hardware verification environment and contribute to the overall system testing. The knowledge of SystemVerilog functional coverage, reusable covergroups, and different sampling methods helps the Firmware Engineer better collaborate with hardware teams and address potential hardware-firmware interaction issues early in the development cycle.

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Computer Architect

Computer Architects design the overall structure and organization of computer systems, including processors, memory, and input/output devices. While not directly involved in detailed hardware verification, understanding verification methodologies helps them create more robust and testable architectures. This course may be useful to Computer Architects by providing an overview of SystemVerilog functional coverage, helping them to appreciate the challenges and techniques involved in ensuring the correctness of hardware designs. The knowledge of coverage-driven verification helps the Computer Architect design with verification in mind, leading to more efficient and reliable designs.

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Verification Series Part 7

SystemVerilog Functional Coverage

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