Digital Design:

Introduction
Credits:
Slides adapted from:
J.F. Wakerly, Digital Design, 4/e, Prentice Hall, 2006
C.H. Roth, Fundamentals of Logic Design, 5/e, Thomson, 2004
N.H.E. Weste, D. Harris, CMOS VLSI Design, 3/e, Prentice Hall, 2004
1

Digital Systems Design

Design
process of coming up with a solution to a problem

Digital Systems
transform signals that can be abstracted as discrete in range and domain

Analog vs. Digital

Figure 1. Analog signals take a continuum of amplitude values.

Digital signals take a few discrete amplitudes.

Analog to Digital Conversion

Figure 2 An analog signal is converted to an approximate digital equivalent by sampling.

Each sample value is represented by a 3-bit code word. Practical converters use
longer code words.

44

Analog vs. Digital

Digital circuits advantages

Better immunity to noise
Easier to implement with IC techniques
More adaptable to variable uses
Design is done at a more abstract level
Better economic

Analog Circuits advantages

Require less devices
Better to deal with low signal amplitudes
Better to deal with high frequencies

Basic Digital Devices (1)

Basic Digital Devices (2)

CLK

Types of digital circuits

Combinational

Sequential

Logic values and noise margins

MOS Transistors as switches

10

CMOS Inverter (NOT gate)

1= 0=

ON OFF
=1 =0
OFF ON

11

Speed of MOS networks

What

influences the speed of CMOS networks?

charging

and discharging of voltages on wires and

gates of transistors

Capacitors

hold charge

capacitance
Resistors

is at gates of transistors and wire material

slow movement of electrons

resistance

between drain and source of transistors

12

Integrated Circuits (IC)

13

Packaged Chips

14

Chip Integration Level

SSI = small-scale integration

( up to 10 gates)
MSI = medium-scale integration
( up to 1000 gates)
LSI = large-scale integration
(up to 10000 gates)
VLSI = very large-scale integration
(over 10000 gates)
15

Types of ICs
ASSP
ASIC

Full-custom
Semi-custom
Cell Based
Gate Arrays
Programmable
CPLD

and FPGA

16

Design Abstraction Levels

17

Design Abstraction Levels

RTL

SW

Abstraction

RTL
System Level

Gate Level

Register
Transfer Level
(HDL)

Transistor Level
1970

1980

1990

2000+
18

A mux at different levels of abstraction

A

Z = A S + B S

1
S

19

A mux at different levels of abstraction

20

A mux at different levels of abstraction

21

Moores Law
In 1963 Gordon Moore predicted that as a result of continuous miniaturization
transistor count would double every 18 months
53% compound annual growth rate over 45 years
No other technology has grown so fast so long
Transistors become smaller, faster, consume less power, and are
cheaper to manufacture

22

CAD Tools

Designers rely increasingly on design automation software tools to seek

productivity gains and to cope with increased complexity

Typical Design Flow

Logic
Design

Design Entry
Schematic capture
Hardware Description Languages
Logic Synthesis
Pre layout verification
Functional simulation
Formal methods
Timing Analysis
Floorplanning
Placement
Physical
Routing
Design
Extraction
Post layout verification

23

Putting all pieces together:

printed circuit boards

24