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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Engineering : Electronics

Postgraduate Course: Analogue VLSI A (ELEE11041)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Engineering CollegeCollege of Science and Engineering
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThe course is primarily a laboratory course that will involve two, three-hour, lab sessions plus a lecture, every week for ten weeks.
The lab is centred on a custom designed ASIC. The ASIC, which was fabricated on the AMS 0.35m CMOS process, contains a number of single transistors and small sub-circuits such as current mirrors, differential stages, a bandgap reference, a simple DAC and a set of passive components.
The ASIC is mounted on a sophisticated, purpose-designed PCB that includes a PIC, a liquid crystal display, DACs, a Direct Digital Synthesis chip and many other devices that serve to support and augment the analogue ASIC. This PCB can communicate directly with a PC via a USB link. The result is a purpose-designed mixed-signal environment where analogue and mixed signal phenomena can be examined in detail.
The whole laboratory course is supported throughout by Cadence simulation, so you will see how simulation and reality fit together, where the differences lie, and how to account for them.

Course description Lectures.
Lectures exist primarily to support the practical work. Therefore, the remaining time, in which new material is introduced, is not always accurately split between lecture slots.
L1 Introduction and Overview
L2 Description of the Cadence suite ¿ on-line example
L3 Description of hardware
L4 Electromigration and its effects
L5 First order MOS models, their limitations, and what can still be gained from using them. Interpretation of standard IC process rules for use in an analogue environment.
L6 Reminder of small-signal analysis as applied to MOS circuits. Important features of various standard analogue circuits that can be derived from small-signal and first-order models
L7-9 Standard components, discrete and integrated, and their limitations
L1 Revision
L11-2 Development of an on-chip band-gap reference, starting from a datasheet right through to fully simulated IC layout (including back-annotated parasitics and non-idealities).
Laboratories
The course is primarily practical: 2 labs of 3 hours assessed lab work each, two per week.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Students MUST have passed:
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisites2,1 Honours BEng or MEng in Electronics and Electrical Engineering, or equivalent
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Not being delivered
Learning Outcomes
The students will understand fundamentals in analogue integrated circuit design. They will be able to use the most up to date industrial simulator for IC design. They will have a good amount of practical experience and will be able to relate measured results to simulated results.
Reading List


Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
Keywordsanalogue circuit MOS
Contacts
Course organiserDr Srinjoy Mitra
Tel: (0131 6)50 5620
Email: Srinjoy.Mitra@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Jo Stillwell
Tel: (0131 6)50 5532
Email: Jo.Aitkenhead@ed.ac.uk
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