Asic System Design With Vhdl

Beginning in the mid 1980's, VLSI technology had begun to advance in two directions. Pushing the limit of integration, ULSI (Ultra Large Scale Integration) represents the frontier of the semiconductor processing technology in the campaign to conquer the submicron realm. The application of ULSI, however, is at present largely confined in the area of memory designs, and as such, its impact on traditional, microprocessor-based system design is modest. If advancement in this direction is merely a natural extrapolation from the previous integration generations, then the rise of ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit) is an unequivocal signal that a directional change in the discipline of system design is in effect. In contrast to ULSI, ASIC employs only well proven technology, and hence is usually at least one generation behind the most advanced processing technology. In spite of this apparent disadvantage, ASIC has become the mainstream of VLSI design and the technology base of numerous entrepreneurial opportunities ranging from PC clones to supercomputers. Unlike ULSI whose complexity can be hidden inside a memory chip or a standard component and thus can be accommodated by traditional system design methods, ASIC requires system designers to master a much larger body of knowledge spanning from processing technology and circuit techniques to architecture principles and algorithm characteristics. Integrating knowledge in these various areas has become the precondition for integrating devices and functions into an ASIC chip in a market-oriented environment. But knowledge is of two kinds.

From the Foreword..... Modern digital signal processing applications provide a large challenge to the system designer. Algorithms are becoming increasingly complex, and yet they must be realized with tight performance constraints. Nevertheless, these DSP algorithms are often built from many constituent canonical subtasks (e.g., IIR and FIR filters, FFTs) that can be reused in other subtasks. Design is then a problem of composing these core entities into a cohesive whole to provide both the intended functionality and the required performance. In order to organize the design process, there have been two major approaches. The top-down approach starts with an abstract, concise, functional description which can be quickly generated. On the other hand, the bottom-up approach starts from a detailed low-level design where performance can be directly assessed, but where the requisite design and interface detail take a long time to generate. In this book, the authors show a way to effectively resolve this tension by retaining the high-level conciseness of VHDL while parameterizing it to get good fit to specific applications through reuse of core library components. Since they build on a pre-designed set of core elements, accurate area, speed and power estimates can be percolated to high- level design routines which explore the design space. Results are impressive, and the cost model provided will prove to be very useful. Overall, the authors have provided an up-to-date approach, doing a good job at getting performance out of high-level design. The methodology provided makes good use of extant design tools, and is realistic in terms of the industrial design process. The approach is interesting in its own right, but is also of direct utility, and it will give the existing DSP CAD tools a highly competitive alternative. The techniques described have been developed within ARPAs RASSP (Rapid Prototyping of Application Specific Signal Processors) project, and should be of great interest there, as well as to many industrial designers. Professor Jonathan Allen, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

This book describes simple to complex ASIC design practical scenarios using Verilog. It builds a story from the basic fundamentals of ASIC designs to advanced RTL design concepts using Verilog. Looking at current trends of miniaturization, the contents provide practical information on the issues in ASIC design and synthesis using Synopsys DC and their solution. The book explains how to write efficient RTL using Verilog and how to improve design performance. It also covers architecture design strategies, multiple clock domain designs, low-power design techniques, DFT, pre-layout STA and the overall ASIC design flow with case studies. The contents of this book will be useful to practicing hardware engineers, students, and hobbyists looking to learn about ASIC design and synthesis.

Electronic systems based on digital principles are becoming ubiquitous. A good design approach to these systems is essential and a top-down methodology is favoured. Such an approach is vastly simplified by the use of computer modeling to describe the systems. VHDL is a formal language which allows a designer to model the behaviours and structure of a digital circuit on a computer before implementation. "Digital System Design with VHDL" is intended both for students on Digital Design courses and practitioners who would like to integrate digital design and VHDL synthesis in the workplace. Its unique approach combines the principles of digital design with a guide to the use of VHDL. Synthesis issues are discussed and practical guidelines are provided for improving simulation accuracy and performance. Features: a practical perspective is obtained by the inclusion of real-life examples an emphasis on software engineering practices encourages clear coding and adequate documentation of the process demonstrates the effects of particular coding styles on synthesis and simulation efficiency covers the major VHDL standards includes an appendix with examples in Verilog

Richard Munden demonstrates how to create and use simulation models for verifying ASIC and FPGA designs and board-level designs that use off-the-shelf digital components. Based on the VHDL/VITAL standard, these models include timing constraints and propagation delays that are required for accurate verification of today’s digital designs. ASIC and FPGA Verification: A Guide to Component Modeling expertly illustrates how ASICs and FPGAs can be verified in the larger context of a board or a system. It is a valuable resource for any designer who simulates multi-chip digital designs. *Provides numerous models and a clearly defined methodology for performing board-level simulation. *Covers the details of modeling for verification of both logic and timing. *First book to collect and teach techniques for using VHDL to model "off-the-shelf" or "IP" digital components for use in FPGA and board-level design verification.

A Designer's Guide to VHDL Synthesis is intended for both design engineers who want to use VHDL-based logic synthesis ASICs and for managers who need to gain a practical understanding of the issues involved in using this technology. The emphasis is placed more on practical applications of VHDL and synthesis based on actual experiences, rather than on a more theoretical approach to the language. VHDL and logic synthesis tools provide very powerful capabilities for ASIC design, but are also very complex and represent a radical departure from traditional design methods. This situation has made it difficult to get started in using this technology for both designers and management, since a major learning effort and `culture' change is required. A Designer's Guide to VHDL Synthesis has been written to help design engineers and other professionals successfully make the transition to a design methodology based on VHDL and log synthesis instead of the more traditional schematic based approach. While there are a number of texts on the VHDL language and its use in simulation, little has been written from a designer's viewpoint on how to use VHDL and logic synthesis to design real ASIC systems. The material in this book is based on experience gained in successfully using these techniques for ASIC design and relies heavily on realistic examples to demonstrate the principles involved.