Integrated Circuit Design Course Research Articles

A Subthreshold Biased CMOS Ring Oscillator Model Design in 180-nm Process

In this paper, a 180-nm CMOS ring oscillator design, made with halo-implanted transistors and operating in the weak inversion region, is proposed, based on an undergraduate integrated circuit design course methodology for building logic gates and comparing simulated results with reviewed literature data. Halo-implanted channel transistors have a steeper and less distorted voltage characteristic curve compared to uniformly doped channel ones, which makes them a more appropriate option when designing asynchronous digital integrated circuits aimed at low bias and low power. Three gate models were created using weak inversion and pull-up and pull-down networks made with halo-implanted transistors. The results of the study and simulation of the three inverter digital gate topologies showed that the NOT inverter model, as expected, had a higher frequency than the NAND and NOR inverter models. The ring oscillators made with the NOT inverter came up with an 8.25-MHz switching frequency as well as a dynamic power close to 270 nW. A comparison with other ring oscillators from previous studies is also shown.

An Approach of Project-Based Learning: Bridging the Gap Between Academia and Industry Needs in Teaching Integrated Circuit Design Course

In teaching an integrated circuit (IC) design course, many benefits can be gained by offering an industry-relevant project associated with a training to a bundle of electronic design automation (EDA) tools and design methodologies. However, few open-source projects were able to cover the key qualifications needed by industry. Therefore, this article proposes an approach of project-based learning (PBL), aiming at bridging the gap between the industry needs and the learning outcomes from academia. Specifically, this article first conducts an investigation on basic qualifications necessary for entry-level IC designers. By summarizing those results as a specification, the development, implementation, and assessment to an open source project is presented to include the latest EDA tools and methodologies needed by IC design companies, as well as the fundamental knowledge and skills of the course outcomes. The effectiveness of this work is evaluated by the analysis of students’ final exam results using <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$t$ </tex-math></inline-formula> -tests. It shows that students who had participated in the project achieved higher levels of acquired knowledge to the design on ICs. Student survey and evaluation also demonstrate positive effect on student achievement with the PBL approach. Further, the public availability of this project has a big potential to offer a framework to practical courses and improve students’ knowledge and skills in many topics, such as computer architecture and micro-systems.

Case-Based Instruction in Digital Integrated Circuit Design Courses for Non-Major Students

In this paper, a preliminary study using case-based teaching methodology in a digital IC design course is described. The proposed case-based course consists of ten lecture topics with hands-on labs and two projects. Each topic covers a design case example which contains illustrations of physical structure, hardware description language (HDL) codes, truth tables, waveform, and comments. Students can comprehend the essence of HDL by referring to physical logic gates, truth table, and waveform with HDL codes. This helps students to understand the abstract nature of HDL-based design flow especially for non-EE major undergraduates. To illustrate the effect of case-based teaching methodology instruction for non-major undergraduates, a specific class was constructed by 56% major and 44% non-major undergraduates. At the end of the course, both major and non-major undergraduates verified all labs and projects successfully. The questionnaire statistics show that most of the students like the course with case-based guidance. They all look forward to taking other similar engineering courses in the future.

Using Tablet PCs and Interactive Software in IC Design Courses to Improve Learning

This paper describes an initial study of using tablet PCs and interactive course software in integrated circuit (IC) design courses. A rapidly growing community is demonstrating how this technology can improve learning and retention of material by facilitating interaction between faculty and students via cognitive exercises during lectures. While numerous examples of using this technology exist, there is not much literature regarding its application to electrical engineering and IC design in particular. This paper presents examples from three different IC design courses to describe the types of cognitive activities that can be facilitated with this technology. While these examples are specific to IC design, the basic techniques are valid for any application. This study does show some initial success, which, it is hoped, will spark interest at other universities and lead to a better examination of its effectiveness through larger sample sizes.

Effective Teaching of the Physical Design of Integrated Circuits Using Educational Tools

This paper presents the strategies used for effective teaching and skill development in integrated circuit (IC) design using project-based learning (PBL) methodologies. It presents the contexts in which these strategies are applied to IC design courses at the University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia, and the National Institute of Applied Science (INSA), Toulouse, France. Collaborations among the faculty members of the two institutions have produced a set of learning resources and design tools to support the development of industry-relevant design skills and lifelong learning skills. At the pedagogical level, the emphasis is on the development of practical circuit design, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills rather than the mastery of complex circuit design tools. The courses enable students to learn about the most recent technological developments and their implications, using a set of user-friendly tools. The PBL methodologies, intuitive design tools, and latest technology models have consistently produced high levels of student satisfaction with the overall quality of the courses at the two institutions.

A Novel Analog Integrated Circuit Design Course Covering Design, Layout, and Resulting Chip Measurement

This work describes a novel, first-year graduate-level analog integrated circuit (IC) design course. The course teaches students analog circuit design; an external manufacturer then produces their designs in three different silicon chips. The students, working in pairs, then test these chips to verify their success. All work is completed within one semester, and the grading cycle in the most recent offering of the course extended from September 2007 to February 2008, when there were 10 students enrolled. The manufacturer's shuttle cycle is 3.5 months. Most students in the course have only a college-level electronics background. The manufacturing process is Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's (TSMC) 0.35 ¿m CMOS Mixed-Signal 2P4M Polycide 3.3/5 V. The three successful chips consist of a voltage controlled oscillator, a high-performance differential amplifier, and a temperature-independent voltage reference generator. Section VI describes assessment and student feedback as well as proposed course improvement.

Integrated circuit teaching through top-down design

This paper describes the organization, development, and results of an integrated circuit design course where the bottom-up teaching approach adopted in textbooks has been managed in conjunction with the top-down strategy of modern design methodologies. The deliverables and milestones established for the teaching, learning, and design activities have been successfully met up to the level of obtaining simulation results demonstrating the functional and/or electrical performance of a number of application specific integrated circuits for communication systems which not only exhibit some innovative solutions but also demonstrate potential practical applicability in industry.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>