CMOS Gate Array Design Exercise

Supervised Introductory Laboratory Sessions

Overview

Each team is allocated a laboratory slot for a supervised introductory session. It is not intended that any design work is done during these sessions, they are intended to introduce teams to the CAD tools and the design flows needed to complete the design exercise.

Each team should send a schematic sub-team and a layout sub-team to this session. The sub-teams will typically consist of two people who will become the experts in their chosen specialities. During the introductory session the sub-team will complete a full design flow for a sample design.

It is only having completed a full design flow that designers understand the potentially disasterous implications of errors made in the early stages. It is much better to make these errors on a small design with supervisors present to put you right rather than to find that you have wasted significant effort due to early errors in the real design.

It is not uncommon for 10 hours of work to be lost where an error is due to misunderstanding of the correct design flow.

Schematic Sub-Team

Approx 2 people

Capture and simulate sample schematic.

Layout Sub-Team

Approx 2 people

Place, route and simulate sample layout.

Notes

These sub-teams will become your experts for these tasks.

They should be involved in teaching other team members rather than doing all the Icebox work themselves.