VSD - Physical Design Flow from Udemy

What's inside

Learning objectives

Understand industrial physical design flow

Modify and develop own flow as per specifications

Understand industrial physical design flow
Modify and develop own flow as per specifications

Syllabus

Physical Design Flow Overview

Floor-Planning Steps

Netlist Binding And Placement Optimization

Placement Timing And Clock Tree Synthesis

Clock Net Shielding

Route - DRC Clean - Parasitics Extraction - Final STA

Floorplanning

Utilization Factor And Aspect Ratio

Concept Of Pre-Placed Cells

De-coupling Capacitors

Power Planning

Pin Placement And Logical Cell Placement Blockage

Placement

Net-list Binding And Placement

Optimize Placement Using Estimated Wire Length And Capacitance

Optimize Placement Conitnued

Timing Analysis With Ideal Clocks

Setup Timing Analysis And Introduction to Flip-Flop Setup Time

Introduction To Clock Jitter and Uncertainty

Setup Timing Analysis with Multiple Clocks

Multiple Clock Timing Analysis And Introduction To Data Slew Check

Data Slew Check

Clock Tree Synthesis And Signal Integrity

Clock Tree Routing And Buffering using H-Tree Algorithm

Crosstalk And Clock Net Shielding

Static Timing Analysis With Real Clocks

Hold Timing Analysis Concluded

Multiple Clocks Setup Timing Analysis With Real Clocks

Routing And Design Rule Check (DRC)

Introduction to Maze Routing - Lee's Algorithm

Lee's Algorithm Conclusion

Design Rule Check

Parasitics Extraction

Introduction to IEEE 1481 - 1999 SPEF format

SPEF Representation of a NET

Distributed Resistance And Capacitance Representation in SPEF

SPEF Header Description, Physical Design Flow Conclusion and What Next !!

Bonus - Technological advances happening in the world of opensource

Next Generation Education Technology for VLSI Design Flow

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 VSD - Physical Design Flow with these activities:

Review Basic Electronics Concepts

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Reinforce your understanding of fundamental electronics concepts to better grasp the device physics aspects of physical design.

Browse courses on MOSFETs

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Review textbooks or online resources on basic electronics.
Work through practice problems related to transistor behavior and logic gates.

Brush Up on Digital Logic Design

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Strengthen your knowledge of digital logic design principles, which are essential for understanding netlist binding and placement optimization.

Browse courses on Combinational Logic

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Review the concepts of combinational and sequential logic.
Practice designing simple digital circuits using flip-flops and logic gates.
Familiarize yourself with a hardware description language (HDL) like Verilog.

Follow Tutorials on Floorplanning Techniques

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Learn practical floorplanning techniques through guided tutorials to improve your ability to optimize chip layout.

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Search for online tutorials or workshops on floorplanning.
Follow the tutorials step-by-step, paying attention to the reasoning behind each decision.
Experiment with different floorplanning strategies to see their impact on chip performance.

Four other activities

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Practice Timing Analysis Problems

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Sharpen your timing analysis skills by working through practice problems to master setup and hold time concepts.

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Find practice problems related to setup and hold time analysis.
Solve the problems, paying close attention to clock jitter and uncertainty.
Compare your solutions with the provided answers to identify areas for improvement.

Read 'CMOS VLSI Design: A Circuits and Systems Perspective'

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Gain a deeper understanding of CMOS VLSI design principles to better appreciate the challenges and trade-offs involved in physical design.

View Cmos Vlsi Design: A Circuits and Systems... on Amazon

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Read the relevant chapters on CMOS circuits and layout design.
Work through the examples and exercises provided in the book.
Relate the concepts learned to the physical design flow discussed in the course.

Design a Simple Clock Tree

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Apply your knowledge of clock tree synthesis by designing a simple clock tree for a small digital circuit.

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Choose a small digital circuit as a target for your clock tree design.
Determine the clock frequency and timing requirements for the circuit.
Design a clock tree using an H-tree algorithm or other suitable method.
Simulate the clock tree to verify its performance and signal integrity.

Create a Presentation on Routing Algorithms

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Deepen your understanding of routing algorithms by creating a presentation that explains Lee's algorithm and other routing techniques.

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Research different routing algorithms, including Lee's algorithm.
Prepare a presentation that explains the algorithms in a clear and concise manner.
Include diagrams and examples to illustrate the algorithms' operation.
Present your findings to peers or colleagues for feedback.

Career center

Learners who complete VSD - Physical Design Flow will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Physical Design Engineer

Physical design engineers convert logical circuit designs into physical layouts ready for manufacturing. They optimize the placement and routing of components to meet performance, power, and area constraints. The VSD - Physical Design Flow course helps build a foundation by covering the end-to-end description of the Industrial Physical Design Flow. The course's detailed syllabus, including floor planning steps, netlist binding, placement optimization, clock tree synthesis, routing, and design rule checks, may be beneficial for prospective physical design engineers.

See salaries and explore the career path for Physical Design Engineer

Timing Analysis Engineer

Timing analysis engineers are responsible for ensuring that digital circuits meet their timing specifications, using static timing analysis (STA) tools to verify circuit performance. This requires a solid understanding of clock tree synthesis, signal integrity, and timing constraints. This VSD - Physical Design Flow course helps illustrate the timing analysis with both ideal and real clocks. Someone looking to become a timing analysis engineer may find the course's modules on setup timing analysis, clock jitter, data slew check, and multiple clock timing analysis, to be helpful.

See salaries and explore the career path for Timing Analysis Engineer

Chip Designer

A chip designer creates the blueprints for integrated circuits, commonly known as chips, found in electronic devices. This requires a deep understanding of physical design flow, ensuring components are placed and connected optimally for performance and efficiency. This VSD - Physical Design Flow course helps provide a foundational understanding of physical design flow, floor planning, placement optimization, and routing. Someone looking to become a chip designer may find the course beneficial, as it covers topics like clock tree synthesis, static timing analysis, and design rule checks, all crucial elements in the chip design process.

See salaries and explore the career path for Chip Designer

VLSI Engineer

VLSI, or Very Large Scale Integration, engineers are responsible for designing, developing, and testing integrated circuits. This often involves using Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools to lay out circuit designs and simulate their behavior. This VSD - Physical Design Flow course may be useful in developing industrial skills in the VLSI world, spanning basic device physics to chip design. A VLSI engineer may greatly benefit from the course's modules on floor planning, placement, routing, and static timing analysis. The course's content on parasitics extraction and SPEF representation may also improve understanding of circuit performance.

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Layout Engineer

Layout engineers create the physical representation of integrated circuits, translating circuit schematics into detailed layouts that can be manufactured. This requires precision and a thorough understanding of design rules and manufacturing processes. This VSD - Physical Design Flow course may provide useful background knowledge of the tools and techniques used in the field. A layout engineer may find the modules on design rule check and parasitics extraction particularly relevant, helping them ensure manufacturability and performance.

See salaries and explore the career path for Layout Engineer

CAD Engineer

CAD, or Computer Aided Design, engineers manage and maintain the software and hardware infrastructure used for chip design. This requires familiarity with the physical design flow and the EDA tools used by design teams. The VSD - Physical Design Flow course can introduce the Industrial Physical Design Flow. A CAD engineer may find the modules on design rule checks, parasitics extraction, and static timing analysis particularly useful, helping them to troubleshoot issues and optimize the design environment.

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Circuit Design Engineer

Circuit design engineers design and test electronic circuits, often at the transistor level. This work requires a strong foundation in analog and digital circuit design principles. This VSD - Physical Design Flow course may provide beneficial introduction or review of the tools and techniques used in the field. A circuit design engineer might find the modules on clock tree synthesis and signal integrity especially helpful, providing additional perspective into chip design processes.

See salaries and explore the career path for Circuit Design Engineer

EDA Tool Developer

EDA, or Electronic Design Automation, tool developers create the software used to design and simulate integrated circuits. A deep understanding of the physical design flow is essential to make effective and innovative tools. This VSD - Physical Design Flow course helps lay out the end-to-end description from basic device physics to chip design. For an aspiring EDA tool developer, in particular, the course's overview of the physical design flow, routing algorithms, and parasitics extraction methods may be a helpful tool.

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Application Engineer

Application engineers provide technical support to customers using specialized software or hardware. For companies that produce EDA tools or chips, a deeper understanding of the physical design flow is essential. This VSD - Physical Design Flow course introduces end-to-end description from basic device physics to chip design. For an application engineer supporting chip design tools, the course’s overview of floor-planning, placement, routing, and timing analysis may improve communication with clients.

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Semiconductor Process Engineer

Semiconductor process engineers work on the manufacturing side of chip production, optimizing the fabrication processes used to create integrated circuits. While not directly involved in design, they benefit from understanding the physical design flow. This VSD - Physical Design Flow course may give insight into design constraints and layout considerations. The course syllabus covering design rule checks, parasitics extraction, and final static timing analysis might provide a helpful overview of how design choices impact manufacturability and performance for a semiconductor process engineer.

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System on Chip Architect

A system on chip, or SoC, architect defines the overall architecture of complex integrated circuits, specifying the components and their interconnections. This requires a broad understanding of hardware and software design, as well as manufacturing constraints. The VSD - Physical Design Flow course may be useful in understanding manufacturing realities. Someone looking to become a SoC architect might use the course's overview of the physical design flow to help guide design decisions.

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Digital Design Engineer

Digital design engineers create digital circuits using hardware description languages (HDLs) such as Verilog or VHDL. They design and simulate circuits to meet performance and power requirements. This VSD - Physical Design Flow course may provide a supplementary understanding of physical implementation. Someone looking to become a digital design engineer may find the course's modules on timing analysis, clock tree synthesis, and signal integrity to be helpful, as they affect final circuit performance.

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FPGA Designer

FPGA, or Field Programmable Gate Array, designers program these devices to implement custom logic functions. While the design flow differs from ASIC design, understanding the fundamental principles of physical design is still beneficial. This VSD - Physical Design Flow course may provide exposure to these basic principles. An FPGA designer may find the course's content on floor planning, placement, and routing helpful in understanding how logic is mapped onto the physical device, potentially improving the area and performance of their designs.

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Hardware Engineer

Hardware engineers design, develop, and test computer systems and components. This can range from circuit boards to processors. This VSD - Physical Design Flow course may provide a supplementary understanding of chip design principles. The course's content on clock tree synthesis, routing, and signal integrity may be beneficial for hardware engineers working at the chip level, helping them to understand the intricacies of chip design and performance.

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Verification Engineer

Verification engineers ensure that chip designs function correctly before they are manufactured. They create test plans and simulations to validate the design against specifications. This VSD - Physical Design Flow course may be helpful in understanding the design flow. This course may serve as helpful context when someone is acting as a verification engineer, especially regarding floorplanning and STA. The course may enhance the precision of test plans.

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VSD - Physical Design Flow

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