SEMICONDUCTOR SERVICES

ASIC/RTL Design

ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit):  An ASIC is a customized integrated circuit designed for a specific application or function. ASICs are tailored to perform a particular set of tasks efficiently, often with a focus on performance, power consumption, and size optimization.

  • They are designed to execute a predefined function and are not reprogrammable like FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays). ASIC design involves creating a chip from scratch, starting with a high-level description of the desired functionality and going through various design and manufacturing stages.
  • RTL (Register Transfer Level): RTL is a design abstraction level used in digital hardware design. It describes how data moves between registers and the logical operations performed on that data within a digital circuit.

 RTL design is a crucial step in creating digital hardware, as it serves as an intermediate representation between the high-level behavioral description (like C or SystemVerilog) and the final gate-level implementation. RTL code describes the behavior of the hardware at a level that is close to the hardware’s actual operation

Design for Testability

  • In VLSI design, Design for Testability (DFT) is an approach that aims to make digital circuits easier to test during the manufacturing and debugging process.
  • Design for Testability (DFT) is an approach used in the design of electronic systems, especially integrated circuits (ICs), to make them easier to test and verify during manufacturing and throughout their lifecycle.
  • DFT techniques and methodologies are employed to ensure that electronic devices can be efficiently and effectively tested for defects and faults, thereby improving product quality and reducing production costs. These techniques include adding test features like scan chains, boundary scan (JTAG), built-in self-test (BIST), and other design modifications to facilitate testing and fault detection.

IP/SoC Verification

IP/SoC (Intellectual Property/System-on-Chip) verification is the process of rigorously testing and validating the design and functionality of individual IP blocks or modules and their integration within a larger SoC. 

  • This verification ensures that the IP blocks and the SoC as a whole operate correctly, meet design specifications, and function reliably under various conditions.
  • It involves extensive testing, simulation, and analysis to identify and rectify any design flaws, bugs, or performance issues, reducing the risk of errors and ensuring the quality and reliability of the final chip or system.

Physical design & STA

PD (Physical Design):  PD involves the layout and physical implementation of an integrated circuit (IC) design. It includes tasks such as floor planning, placement, routing, and optimization to translate a logical design into a physical representation on a silicon wafer.

  • PD ensures that the IC is manufacturable, adheres to design rules, and meets performance, power, and area targets.
  • STA (Static Timing Analysis): STA is a critical step in IC design to validate and ensure that the circuit meets its timing requirements. It assesses the timing behavior of the digital logic in the design to verify that signals arrive at their destinations within specified clock cycles and meet setup and hold time requirements.
  •  STA helps identify and resolve timing violations that could result in functional errors or performance issues in the final chip.

FPGA DESIGN

FPGA stands for “Field-Programmable Gate Array.” It is a reconfigurable digital hardware device that can be programmed to perform specific tasks and functions. Unlike traditional ASICs (Application-Specific Integrated Circuits), which are custom-designed for a particular purpose, FPGAs can be programmed and reprogrammed by the user after manufacturing.
  • FPGAs consist of a grid of configurable logic blocks and programmable interconnects, allowing designers to create custom digital circuits by defining the functionality of these blocks and how they are interconnected.
  • This flexibility makes FPGAs versatile and suitable for a wide range of applications, including digital signal processing, embedded systems, prototyping, and hardware acceleration.
  • FPGAs are often used for rapid prototyping and development of digital hardware designs because they allow for iterative testing and modification without the need to manufacture custom ASICs.

LAYOUT DESIGNS

Layout design, in the context of integrated circuit (IC) design, refers to the process of physically arranging the various components and interconnections of a semiconductor chip on a silicon wafer or other substrates. It is a critical step in the design and manufacturing of ICs.