I made this presentation for you , I hope its useful for you all, and I hate Plagiarism please, I also used some slides here but I mentioned all in the last slide :)
Hope you can get benefits from it
1. Introduction to VLSI Circuits and
Systems
4th
Generation Microprocessor
VLSI
Prepared by: Soma.O.Muhammad
2. The beginning
Microprocessors are essential to many of the products we use every day such as TVs, cars, radios,
home appliances and of course, computers. Transistors are the main components of
microprocessors.
At their most basic level, transistors may seem simple. But their development actually required
many years of painstaking research. Before transistors, computers relied on slow, inefficient
vacuum tubes and mechanical switches to process information. In 1958, engineers managed to put
two transistors onto a Silicon crystal and create the first integrated circuit, which subsequently led
to the first microprocessor.
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3. History and Evolution
In 1976, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak built the Apple II, the first personal computer in a garage
in California.
Then, in 1981, IBM introduced its first personal computer. The personal computer was such a
revolutionary concept and was expected to have such an impact on society that in 1982, "Time"
magazine dedicated its annual "Man of the Year Issue" to the computer. The other feature of the
microprocessor is its versatility. Whereas previously the integrated circuit had had to be
manufactured to fit a special purpose, now one microprocessor could be manufactured and then
programmed to meet any number of demands. Soon everyday household items such as microwave
ovens, television sets and automobiles with electronic fuel injection incorporated microprocessors.
The 1980's saw an expansion in computer use in all three arenas as clones of the IBM PC made the
personal computer even more affordable. The number of personal computers in use more than
doubled from 2 million in 1981 to 5.5 million in 1982. Ten years later, 65 million PCs were being
used. Computers continued their trend toward a smaller size, working their way down from
desktop to laptop computers (which could fit inside a briefcase) to palmtop (able to fit inside a
breast pocket).
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4. Integration improves the design
Lower parasitics = higher speed
Lower power consumption
Physically smaller
Integration reduces manufacturing cost - (almost) no manual assembly
Why VLSI?
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5. Introduction
Very-large-scale integration (VLSI) is the process of creating an IC by combining thousands of
transistors into a single chip. VLSI began in the 1970s when complexsemiconductor and
communication technologies were being developed. The microprocessor is a VLSI device. Before
the introduction of VLSI technology most ICs had a limited set of functions they could perform.
An electronic circuit might consist of a CPU, ROM, RAM and other glue logic. VLSI lets IC
makers add all of these into one chip.
By the 1980's, very large scale integration (VLSI) squeezed hundreds of thousands of components
onto a chip. The ability to fit so much onto an area about half the size of a U.S. dime helped diminish
the size and price of computers. It also increased their power, efficiency and reliability. Marcian Hoff
invented a device which could replace several of the components of earlier computers, the
microprocessor. The microprocessor is the characteristic of fourth generation computers, capable of
performing all of the functions of a computer's central processing unit. The reduced size, reduced
cost, and increased speed of the microprocessor led to the creation of the first personal computers.
Until now computers had been the almost exclusively the domain of universities, business and
government.
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6. Introduction
IC: Integrated Circuits, many transistors on one chip
VLSI: Very Large Scale Integration, a modern
technology of IC design flow
MOS: Metal-Oxide-Silicon transistor (also called
device)
CMOS: Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor
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7. Moore’s Law
Gordon Moore: co-founder of Intel
Predicted that the number of transistors per chip would grow
exponentially (double every 18 months)
Exponential improvement in technology is a natural trend:
e.g. Steam Engines - Dynamo - Automobile
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8. Technology Background
What is a Silicon Chip?
A pattern of interconnected switches and gates on the surface of a crystal
of semiconductor (typically Si)
These switches and gates are made of
areas of n-type silicon
areas of p-type silicon
areas of insulator
lines of conductor (interconnects) joining areas together
Aluminium, Copper, Titanium, Molybdenum, polysilicon, tungsten
The geometryof these areas is known as the layout of the chip
Connections from the chip to the outside world are made around the edge
of the chip to facilitate connections to other devices
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9. Technology Background
Semiconductors and Doping
•Adding trace amounts of certain materials to semiconductors alters the crystal
structure and can change their electrical properties
in particular it can change the number of free electrons or holes
•N-Type
semiconductor has free electrons
dopant is (typically) phosphorus, arsenic, antimony
•P-Type
semiconductor has free holes
dopant is (typically) boron, indium, gallium
Dopants are usually implanted into the semiconductor using Implant Technology,
followed by thermal process to diffuse the dopants
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10. Silicon Lattice
Transistors are built on a silicon substrate
Silicon is a Group IV material
Forms crystal lattice with bonds to four neighbors
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11. Dopants
Silicon is a semiconductor
Pure silicon has no free carriers and conducts poorly
Adding dopants increases the conductivity
Group V: extra electron (n-type)
Group III: missing electron, called hole (p-type)
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12. Complexity and Design
Creating a design team provides a realistic
approach to approaching a VLSI project, as it
allows each person to study small sections of the
system
Needing hundreds of engineers, scientists, and
technicians
Needing hierarchy design and many different “Level
Views”
Everyone of each level depends upon the Computer-
Aided Design (CAD) tools
Figure 1.1 The VLSI design funnel
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13. Design Hierarchy (1/2)
System specifications: is defined in both general and
specific terms, such as functions, speed, size, etc.
Abstract high-level model: contains information on the
behavior of each block and the interaction among the
blocks in the system
Logic synthesis: To provide the logic design of the
network by specifying the primitive gates and units needed
to build each unit
Circuit design: where transistors are used as switches and
Boolean variables are treated as vary voltage signals
Physical design: the network is built on a tiny area on a
slice of silicon
Manufacturing: a completed design process is moved on to
the manufacturing line Figure 1.2 General overview
of the design hierarchy
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14. Design Hierarchy (2/2)
Hierarchical design
Top-down design
the initial work is quite abstract and
theoretical and there is no direct
connection to silicon until many steps
have been completed
Acceptable in modern digital system
design
Co-design with combining HW/SW is
critical
Similar to Cell-based Design Flow
Bottom-up design
starts at the silicon or circuit level and
builds primitive units such as logic gates,
adders, and registers as the first steps
Acceptable for small projects
Similar to Full-custom Design Flow
An example of a design hierarchy in
Figure 1.3
an instruction design of a microprocessor
Figure 1.3 A simple design
flow for a microprocessor
BA +←Register_X
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15. VLSI Chip Types
At the engineering level, digital VLSI chips are classified by
the approach used to implement and build the circuit
Full-custom Design: where every circuit is custom designed for the
project
Extremely tedious
Time-consuming process
Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs): using an
extensive suite of CAD tools that portray the system design in terms of
standard digital logic constructs
Including state diagrams, functions tables, and logic diagram
Designer does not need any knowledge of the underlying electronics or the
physic of the silicon chip
Major drawback is that all characteristics are set by the architectural design
Semi-custom Design: between that of a full-custom and ASICs
Using a group of primitive predefined cells as building blocks, called cell
library
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17. Integrated Circuits
Why Make Ics ?
Integration improves
size
speed
power
Integration reduce manufacturing costs
(almost) no manual assembly
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18. IC Evolution (1/3)
SSI – Small Scale Integration (early 1970s)
contained 1 – 10 logic gates
MSI – Medium Scale Integration
logic functions, counters
LSI – Large Scale Integration
first microprocessors on the chip
VLSI – Very Large Scale Integration
now offers 64-bit microprocessors,
complete with cache memory (L1 and often L2),
floating-point arithmetic unit(s), etc.
Bipolar technology
TTL (transistor-transistor logic)
ECL (emitter-coupled logic)
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19. IC Evolution (2/3)
MOS (Metal-oxide-silicon)
although invented before bipolar transistor,
was initially difficult to manufacture
nMOS (n-channel MOS) technology developed in 1970s
required fewer masking steps, was denser, and consumed less power than equivalent bipolar
ICs => an MOS IC was cheaper than a bipolar IC and led to investment and growth of the
MOS IC market.
aluminum gates for replaced by polysilicon by early 1980
CMOS (Complementary MOS): n-channel and p-channel MOS transistors =>
lower power consumption, simplified fabrication process
Bi-CMOS - hybrid Bipolar, CMOS (for high speed)
GaAs - Gallium Arsenide (for high speed)
Si-Ge - Silicon Germanium (for RF)
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20. IC
From Howe, Sodini: Microelectronics:An Integrated Approach, Prentice Hall
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21. Chips
Integrated circuits consist of:
A small square or rectangular “die”, < 1mm thick
Small die: 1.5 mm x 1.5 mm => 2.25 mm2
Large die: 15 mm x 15 mm => 225 mm2
Larger die sizes mean:
More logic, memory
Less volume
Less yield
Dies are made from silicon (substrate)
Substrate provides mechanical support and electrical common point
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