APPROVED
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VLSI Design
Programme course
12 credits
VLSI-konstruktion, CDIO
TSEK06
Valid from: 2018 Spring semester
Determined by
Board of Studies for Electrical
Engineering, Physics and Mathematics
Date determined
LINKÖPING UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
LINKÖPING UNIVERSITY VLSI DESIGN
FACULTY OF SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING APPROVED
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Main field of study
Electrical Engineering
Course level
Second cycle
Advancement level
A1X
Course offered for
Electronics Engineering, Master's Programme
Applied Physics and Electrical Engineering - International, M Sc in
Engineering
Applied Physics and Electrical Engineering, M Sc in Engineering
Computer Science and Engineering, M Sc in Engineering
Information Technology, M Sc in Engineering
Specific information
The Entrepreneurship part overlap with other CDIO courses and cannot be
included more than once in a degree.
Exchange students may apply for the course after arrival to LiTH but before it
starts. The Faculty coordinators for exchange studies must be contacted before
applying.
Entry requirements
Note: Admission requirements for non-programme students usually also include
admission requirements for the programme and threshold requirements for
progression within the programme, or corresponding.
Prerequisites
Good knowledge in fundamentals of electronics, digital technique, MOS
transistors and CMOS technology, digital and analog integrated circuits. The
following courses cover most of the above knowledge: Introduction to VLSI
Design (TSTE86), advanced VLSI Design (TSEK36), and Analog and Discrete-
Time Integrated Circuits (TSTE80)
LINKÖPING UNIVERSITY VLSI DESIGN
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Intended learning outcomes
This course is intended to give knowledge and experience in design and
fabrication of CMOS VLSI chips. This includes:
1. Deep insight in physical design of VLSI chips.
2. Knowledge and experience of using professional CAD tools for design,
simulation, layout, and verification of VLSI chips.
3. Design of a ‘real’ and functional chip, starting from the idea and behavioral
modeling to detailed circuit design at transistor level, circuit layout, and
final verifications.
4. Complete the project using a systematic and professional approach required
by industry to run large and complex VLSI projects:
Organize a project group, make project plan, and divide the task
efficiently among the group members.
Promote teamwork, create a dynamic and functional group, and
actively monitor the progress of the project.
Apply the knowledge from previous courses, search for
supplementary knowledge and material, take the initiative, and find
creative solutions.
Meet the project milestones and the final deadline, document the
project, and show the progress by written reports and oral
presentations.
A purpose for the course is also for the students to acquire knowledge and abilities
within the general area of entrepreneurship, with particular focus on business
planning for new ventures. After the course, students should be able to:
account for models that describe what it takes for a new venture to have a
stable basis for further development and to asess the level of development
of ventures using such models; and
account for the information and analyses needed to evaluate a development
project from a business point of view and have the ability to collect and
analyse relevant information for the purpose.
Course content
Labs include: a small project-example intending to demonstrate a full custom
(handwork) and an automated VLSI design flow as well as introducing major CAD
tools to be used throughout the design projects.
Design project includes: Team building, project planning, project management,
pre-study of the project, architectural exploration, behavioral modeling and
verifications, logic and transistor-level design and circuit simulations, circuit
layout, layout verifications, tape out, and the final project documentation.
Lectures support the project moments including: Course description,
introduction to VLSI design methodology, project description, advanced circuit
and layout techniques, interconnect interface circuits, on-chip power delivery,
clock distribution, synchronization techniques, IO drivers, and pads, testability
and reliability considerations, and other related topics.
LINKÖPING UNIVERSITY VLSI DESIGN
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Teaching and working methods
Lectures, labs and the chip design project, where the task is: Design, simulation,
and fabrication-ready layout of VLSI functional blocks on a chip in 0.35µm CMOS
Technology.
The core of the course is the project, which will be selected and carried out by a
group of 4-to-8 students in an independent manner. The complete chip-design
should be ready by the end of Vt2, and a written report should be handed to a
supervisor (one for a design team). The chips can be fabricated provided the
design is accepted and the students declare to attend the course Evaluation of an
Integrated Circuit.
The course runs over the entire spring semester.
Examination
UPG1 Entrepreneurship Assignments 3 credits U, G
LAB1 Laboratory Work 1.5 credits U, G
PRA1 Project Work 7.5 credits U, G
Grades are given as ‘Fail’ or ‘Pass’.
Grades
Two grade scale, older version, U, G
Other information
Supplementary courses: Evalution of an Integrated circuit.
Department
Institutionen för systemteknik
Director of Studies or equivalent
Tomas Svensson
Examiner
Atila Alvandpour
Course website and other links
[Link]
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Education components
Preliminary scheduled hours: 60 h
Recommended self-study hours: 260 h
Course literature
Jan M. Rabaey, Anantha Chandrakasan, Borivoje Nikolic, "Digital Integrated
Circuits", Prentice Hall, Second Edition (International edition), ISBN 0-13-
120764-4 Kompendium om projektmodellen LIPS (köps på Bokakademin).
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Common rules
Course syllabus
A syllabus has been established for each course. The syllabus specifies the aim and
contents of the course, and the prior knowledge that a student must have in order
to be able to benefit from the course.
Timetabling
Courses are timetabled after a decision has been made for this course concerning
its assignment to a timetable module. A central timetable is not drawn up for
courses with fewer than five participants. Most project courses do not have a
central timetable.
Interrupting a course
The vice-chancellor’s decision concerning regulations for registration,
deregistration and reporting results (Dnr LiU-2015-01241) states that
interruptions in study are to be recorded in Ladok. Thus, all students who do not
participate in a course for which they have registered must record the
interruption, such that the registration on the course can be removed.
Deregistration from a course is carried out using a web-based form:
[Link]/for-studenter/kurskomplettering?l=sv.
Cancelled courses
Courses with few participants (fewer than 10) may be cancelled or organised in a
manner that differs from that stated in the course syllabus. The board of studies is
to deliberate and decide whether a course is to be cancelled or changed from the
course syllabus.
Regulations relating to examinations and examiners
Details are given in a decision in the university’s rule book:
[Link]
Forms of examination
Examination
Written and oral examinations are held at least three times a year: once
immediately after the end of the course, once in August, and once (usually) in one
of the re-examination periods. Examinations held at other times are to follow a
decision of the board of studies.
Principles for examination scheduling for courses that follow the study periods:
courses given in VT1 are examined for the first time in March, with re-
LINKÖPING UNIVERSITY VLSI DESIGN
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examination in June and August
courses given in VT2 are examined for the first time in May, with re-
examination in August and October
courses given in HT1 are examined for the first time in October, with re-
examination in January and August
courses given in HT2 are examined for the first time in January, with re-
examination at Easter and in August.
The examination schedule is based on the structure of timetable modules, but
there may be deviations from this, mainly in the case of courses that are studied
and examined for several programmes and in lower grades (i.e. 1 and 2).
Examinations for courses that the board of studies has decided are to be
held in alternate years are held only three times during the year in which
the course is given.
Examinations for courses that are cancelled or rescheduled such that they
are not given in one or several years are held three times during the year
that immediately follows the course, with examination scheduling that
corresponds to the scheduling that was in force before the course was
cancelled or rescheduled.
If teaching is no longer given for a course, three examination occurrences
are held during the immediately subsequent year, while examinations are at
the same time held for any replacement course that is given, or alternatively
in association with other re-examination opportunities. Furthermore, an
examination is held on one further occasion during the next subsequent
year, unless the board of studies determines otherwise.
If a course is given during several periods of the year (for programmes, or
on different occasions for different programmes) the board or boards of
studies determine together the scheduling and frequency of re-examination
occasions.
Registration for examination
In order to take an examination, a student must register in advance at the Student
Portal during the registration period, which opens 30 days before the date of the
examination and closes 10 days before it. Candidates are informed of the location
of the examination by email, four days in advance. Students who have not
registered for an examination run the risk of being refused admittance to the
examination, if space is not available.
Symbols used in the examination registration system:
** denotes that the examination is being given for the penultimate time.
* denotes that the examination is being given for the last time.
Code of conduct for students during examinations
Details are given in a decision in the university’s rule book:
[Link]
Retakes for higher grade
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Students at the Institute of Technology at LiU have the right to retake written
examinations and computer-based examinations in an attempt to achieve a higher
grade. This is valid for all examination components with code “TEN” and "DAT".
The same right may not be exercised for other examination components, unless
otherwise specified in the course syllabus.
Retakes of other forms of examination
Regulations concerning retakes of other forms of examination than written
examinations and computer-based examinations are given in the LiU regulations
for examinations and examiners,
[Link]
Plagiarism
For examinations that involve the writing of reports, in cases in which it can be
assumed that the student has had access to other sources (such as during project
work, writing essays, etc.), the material submitted must be prepared in accordance
with principles for acceptable practice when referring to sources (references or
quotations for which the source is specified) when the text, images, ideas, data,
etc. of other people are used. It is also to be made clear whether the author has
reused his or her own text, images, ideas, data, etc. from previous examinations.
A failure to specify such sources may be regarded as attempted deception during
examination.
Attempts to cheat
In the event of a suspected attempt by a student to cheat during an examination,
or when study performance is to be assessed as specified in Chapter 10 of the
Higher Education Ordinance, the examiner is to report this to the disciplinary
board of the university. Possible consequences for the student are suspension
from study and a formal warning. More information is available at
[Link]
Grades
The grades that are preferably to be used are Fail (U), Pass (3), Pass not without
distinction (4) and Pass with distinction (5). Courses under the auspices of the
faculty board of the Faculty of Science and Engineering (Institute of Technology)
are to be given special attention in this regard.
1. Grades U, 3, 4, 5 are to be awarded for courses that have written
examinations.
2. Grades Fail (U) and Pass (G) may be awarded for courses with a large
degree of practical components such as laboratory work, project work and
group work.
Examination components
1. Grades U, 3, 4, 5 are to be awarded for written examinations (TEN).
2. Grades Fail (U) and Pass (G) are to be used for undergraduate projects and
other independent work.
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3. Examination components for which the grades Fail (U) and Pass (G) may be
awarded are laboratory work (LAB), project work (PRA), preparatory
written examination (KTR), oral examination (MUN), computer-based
examination (DAT), home assignment (HEM), and assignment (UPG).
4. Students receive grades either Fail (U) or Pass (G) for other examination
components in which the examination criteria are satisfied principally
through active attendance such as other examination (ANN), tutorial group
(BAS) or examination item (MOM).
The examination results for a student are reported at the relevant department.
Regulations (apply to LiU in its entirety)
The university is a government agency whose operations are regulated by
legislation and ordinances, which include the Higher Education Act and the
Higher Education Ordinance. In addition to legislation and ordinances, operations
are subject to several policy documents. The Linköping University rule book
collects currently valid decisions of a regulatory nature taken by the university
board, the vice-chancellor and faculty/department boards.
LiU’s rule book for education at first-cycle and second-cycle levels is available at
[Link]
_och_avancerad_niva.