Bit Mapper - VLSI World

VLSI World

VLSI Design today, has acquired the status of the most happening field in Electronics. This is a highly specialized field that has the power of integrating millions of transistors on a Single Silicon Chip.

The VLSI family i.e. PLDs, FPGAs along with EDA Tools have changed the VLSI Design scenario. These tools are finding extensive applications in areas like Consumer Electronics, Defense, Aerospace, Set Top Entertainment Boxes, Computer Peripherals, Satellites, Communication, Cell Phones, ...etc.

Further, growing technological requirements like reduction in design-cycle-times, need for multiple featured, low cost, low powered, small sized and high performance devices, have created an unprecedented demand for design of Large Complex Integrated Circuits.

This demand has further fuelled the need for an increase in the number of individuals involved in VLSI Design and calls for an increased emphasis on effectively utilizing of available resources to aid in design.

The need of the hour therefore, is to create a large army of qualified designers to cater to the ever-expanding horizon of the VLSI world. BIT MAPPER recognized this need and stepped in.

Rate of change of technology is becoming comparable to the Design Cycle Time. Hence, Time-to-Market has become a key issue. Further, Features-Sizes have crossed the submicron barrier and device speeds are approaching Giga Hertz. Also, million gate devices are available of the shelf. Hence, Modeling and Testing of devices has assumed prime importance. The challenge of the VLSI Design Engineer lies, in creating designs that are in tune with the changing VLSI Design field.

VLSI Design – Its PRESENT

Programmable Logic Devices viz. FPGAs, CPLDs and their design tools have changed dramatically in the last 15 years. Today with the advent of Million Gate, High-Performance, System Level Devices, the concept of SOC ( System On Chip ) has arrived. Now you can create unique designs that were never possible before, get them to market sooner and keep them in the market longer. As a designer, your ' Window of Innovation ' is practically unlimited.
The FPGA and CPLD market is increasing and is about to grow more than the ASIC market, both in terms of devices and value.
Companies like Xilinx, Altera, Quick Logic, Vantis, Lattice, Cypress are the major players in this market.
Million gate devices from them are already available. PLDs are now finding applications in areas, which formerly were the domain of ASICs only.

Pillars of VLSI Design - Hardware Description Languages ( HDLs )

As the size and complexity of digital systems increased, more EDA Tools were introduced into the hardware design process. The early paper and pencil design methods have long given way to sophisticated design tools. The latest entrants into this design methodology are Hardware Description Languages ( HDLs ). They have now changed the process of VLSI Design to an extent unimaginable.
They are used to describe hardware for the purpose of Modeling, Designing, Simulation, Synthesis, Verification and Documentation.

The two most common HDLs are,

VHDL – Very High Speed Integrated Circuit Hardware Description Language and VERILOG.

Support for VLSI design comes from companies like Mentor Graphics, Synplicity, Synopsys, Exemplar, Aldec, Xilinx. They have become the backbone of VLSI Design industry. All these tool support both, VHDL and VERILOG.