IC design and verification approach at Ember

Abstract

Ember develops ICs, software and tools for Wireless Sensor Networks. Our first IC was a transceiver co-developed with Chipcon (now part of TI) which is still sold today. We had so much fun co-developing that chip we decided to acquire our own IC Development team. The team developed a full networking SoC which includes a world class 2.4 GHz radio, a low power 16 bit core with 128 k Flash memory and 5 k SRAM. There are additional peripherals which allow full operation with the addition of a few external discrete devices, an antenna, and a power supply (which can be 2 AA batteries for 5+ years). The Ember IC Design approach is centered on a first time right design philosophy - something that is very hard to achieve in a complex mixed signal SoC. This includes designing and building analog test chips to confirm RF design blocks, complete emulators running application software, and completing over 500 system level test cases prior to tapeout. This strategy has proven to be successful on our first SoC as well as with our next generation device currently in characterization. The process, the tools, the expertise, and the discipline required to successfully manage this process will be presented. Mr. LeFort will also share observations and anecdotes from his 25 years in the semiconductor industry, starting with VSSI (Very Small Scale Integration) 3 um Bipolar Voltage Regulators through state of the art high performance mixed signal devices.