VLSI : Unix Laboratory for Teaching Design of Microelectronic Systems

A Unix laboratory using Linux, (based on RHEL7.x).

Supported by

Réjean Lepage, M. Sc.
IT Analyst, GR2M

Open hours

Weekdays 24h/24
Weekends 8h - 23h

Electrical ENgineering

department

Here is our

VLSI laboratory

Nowadays, the VLSI laboratory is a teaching laboratory of 18 Linux EL7.x workstations, adapted to teaching CAD tools in a Unix environment. The original laboratory has existed since 1985.

Here are some courses...

Integrated circuits on a very large scale. Levels of abstraction. MOS transistors. CMOS manufacturing processes. Static logical family. Electromigration. Parasitic thyristors. Rules of design and drawing masks. Clocks and synchronization. Architecture with registry transfers. Deadlines in the interconnections. Control of large capacitive loads. Programmable Logic Network (PLA). Memory structures. Design methods. VHDL language, synthesis, placement and routing. Ground-fault and standard-cell circuits. Failure models and test. Verification. Examples from VLSI components.

Analog integrated circuits. Static and dynamic analysis and modeling of active components. Analog and mixed (analog / digital) functions common: operational amplifiers, data converters (analog to digital – A / D) and N / A. Practical considerations of integration and realization of mixed circuits. Design of switched capacitor electronic circuits. Circuit design techniques: current mode and voltage mode. CMOS technologies (bipolar complementary metal semiconductor) and BiCMOS. Software for synthesis and design of analog and mixed circuits. Applications: Voltage Regulators, Programmable Current and Voltage Sources, Modulators and Demodulators, Switches, Preamplifiers and Advanced Amplifiers, Various Analog Filters, Data Acquisition and Processing Systems.

Computer architecture elements. Elements of operating systems. Development chain: compilation suite, compilation automation, cross compilation, remote debugging, multiplatform development tools. Cross development chain. Competitor development and automatic documentation. Input / output processing. Treatment of hardware interrupts. Project of development of a hardware interface with integration in an embedded system.

Design of integrated circuits for implantable neuromuscular monitoring and electrostimulation systems. Elements of Physiology: Central and Peripheral Nervous System, Nerve Types, Neuronal Conduction, Biopotentials. Electrodes and sensors: electrical models, materials, electrode networks, types of sensors. Interface circuits: bio-amplifiers, practical considerations of implementation. Biophysical Principles of Electrical and Magnetic Neuromuscular Stimulation. Electronic circuits of neuronal stimulators for the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. Typical applications: cochlea, retina, dystonia, epilepsy, depression, sleep apnea, pain, help with walking, incontinence.

Review of microprocessor architecture, performance metrics, and complexity metrics. Principles of configurable processors. Design of configurable processors for image processing, cryptography and signal processing. Architectural description languages. Multi-target compilers. Configuration and automated extension of an embedded processor. Review of current literature on configurable embedded processors.

Introduction to joint software / hardware design. Functional verification techniques for hardware: random generation of stress tests, code coverage, functional coverage and assertions. Verification plan. Stimuli and answer. Test bench and concept of reuse for different levels of abstraction. System Verilog and SystemC languages for modeling and verification of embedded systems. Covérification, codébogage and cosimulation. Definition of the software / hardware codeign. Codeign steps: allocation, software / hardware partitioning, scheduling and refinement. Performance estimation. Synthesis of software, hardware and communication protocol. Implementation. Case studies of industrial tools.

30

June 2019

Coming up...

More information is coming up soon.