EE6361: Advanced Topics in VLSI

Date: 3 May 2017 (Wednesday)

Time: 2:00 - 5:00 PM

Location: ESB 207B

Syllabus: eDRAM, SRAM, EDA

Date: 5 Apr 2017 (Wednesday)

Time: 5:00 - 6:00 PM

Location: ESB 207B

Syllabus: SRAM

Date: 27 Feb 2017 (Monday)

Time: 5:00 - 6:00 PM

Location: ESB 207B

Syllabus: eDRAM

• Janakiraman Viraraghavan (IITM)
• Dr. Rahul Rao (STSM IBM. India. Pvt. Ltd)
• Dr. Sridhar Rangarajan (STSM IBM India Pvt. Ltd)

ESB 207B

S-slot - Thu (1:30 - 4:30 PM)

• Assignments: 20%
• Quiz 1: 10% (eDRAM)
• Quiz 2: 10% (SRAM)
• Self Study Seminar : 20%
• End Semester Exam: 40%

(Why we teach this course?)

• Introduce students to some relevant advanced topics of current interest in academia and industry
• Make students aware of some advanced techniques
• Make students aware of work happening in India

This course will cover three broad subjects:

1. Embedded DRAM design and statistical yield analysis (Janakiraman)
2. SRAM design (Rahul Rao)
3. EDA (Sridhar Rangarajan)

(What the students should be able to do after the course)

• Explain the working of a (e)DRAM. What Embedded means?
• Explain the working of a feedback sense amplifier and modify existing designs to improve performance
• Calculate the voltage levels of operation of various components for an eDRAM
• Introduce stacked protect devices to reduce voltage stress of the WL driver
• Calculate the number of samples required to estimate yield to specified accuracy and confidence
• Explain the use of importance sampling to reduce the number of samples required in step 6

• Articulate memory hierarchy and the value proposition of SRAMs in the memory chain + utilization in current processors
• Explain SRAM building blocks and peripheral operations and memory architecture (with physical arrangement)
• Articulate commonly used SRAM cells (6T vs 8T), their advantages and disadvantages
• Explain the operation of a non-conventional SRAM cells, and their limitations
• Explain commonly used assist methods
• Explain how variations impact memory cells

• Describe the role of CAD tools in VLSI Physical Design process.
• Explain various design phases and physical design flow
• Articulate the commonly used algorithms in physical design tools
• Detailed understanding of placement and routing techniques.
• Describe the role of physical synthesis in design closure
• Incremental synthesis and optimization and its role in physical design closure

• Introduction
• Refresher of basic concepts form digital IC design
• 6T SRAM operation and sizing

K. Roy, S. Mukhopadhyay and H. Mahmoodi-Meimand, “Leakage current mechanisms and leakage reduction techniques in deep-submicrometer CMOS circuits,” in Proceedings of the IEEE, vol. 91, no. 2, pp. 305-327, Feb 2003.

• Memory Hierarchy
• SRAM and eDRAM comparison
• eDRAM functionality
• 3T Micro Sense Amplifier

Barth, J. et al., “A 500 MHz Random Cycle, 1.5 ns Latency, SOI Embedded DRAM Macro Featuring a Three-Transistor Micro Sense Amplifier,” IEEE JOURNAL OF SOLID-STATE CIRCUITS, VOL. 43, NO. 1, JANUARY 2008. PDF

Lecture Slides

Saturday - 2:00 - 430 PM

LTSpice Simulator: http://www.linear.com/designtools/software/#LTspice

22nm LP Model

22nm HP Model

NMOS Simulation

Due on: 13th Feb 2017 (11:55 PM)

Download File

Moodle submission link

Rubric for evaluation:

* Gated Feedback Sense Amplifier

Gregory Fredeman, et. al. A 14 nm 1.1 Mb Embedded DRAM Macro With 1 ns Access. J. Solid-State Circuits 51(1): 230-239 (2016) PDF

Click Here

Download File

Lecture slides

Probability Tutorial

R. Kanj, et. al., “Mixture importance sampling and its application to the analysis of SRAM designs in the presence of rare failure events,” 2006 43rd ACM/IEEE Design Automation Conference, San Francisco, CA, 2006, pp. 69-72.PDF

Click Here

• 6T SRAM cell
• Static/ Read and Write noise margins
• Read/ Write/ Hold and Access failures
• Column interleaving

Lecture slides

Due on: 6th Mar 2017 (11:55 PM)

Download File

Moodle submission link

• 8T SRAM cell
• 10T SRAM cell
• Asymmetric cells
• Sub-threshold cells
• Low leakage cells

Lecture slides

• High Performance SRAM design
• Impact of variation
• Assist circuits

Lecture slides

• BTI Effects
• Stress in SRAM
• Testing and Faults
• March patterns

Lecture slides

Due on: 27th Mar 2017 (11:55 PM)

Download File

H. Pilo et al., “A 64Mb SRAM in 32nm High-k metal-gate SOI technology with 0.7V operation enabled by stability, write-ability and read-ability enhancements,” 2011 IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference, San Francisco, CA, 2011, pp. 254-256. doi: 10.1109/ISSCC.2011.5746307[PDF]

Moodle submission link

Due on: 12 and 14 Apr 2017 5:00 - 6:00 PM- Will split the groups across two one hour sessions based on convenience

• Work in groups of 2
• Each group will be assigned 1 of 3 papers given below
• Each group will make a 15 min presentation to the class
• Speaker will be switched arbitrarily in between by the teacher
• Presentation should include

1. Introduction to basic TCAMs
2. The problem with the traditional TCAM
3. Key concept of the proposal
4. Key results shown in the paper
5. Conclusion - Potential pit falls in the proposed design and suggested fix
6. Simulation is not necessary but suitable simulation will carry bonus marks

List of Papers

1. I. Arsovski and A. Sheikholeslami, “A current-saving match-line sensing scheme for content-addressable memories,” 2003 IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference, 2003. Digest of Technical Papers. ISSCC., San Francisco, CA, USA, 2003, pp. 304-494 vol.1. doi: 10.1109/ISSCC.2003.1234309
2. I. Arsovski, T. Hebig, D. Dobson and R. Wistort, “1Gsearch/sec Ternary Content Addressable Memory compiler with silicon-aware Early-Predict Late-Correct single-ended sensing,” 2012 Symposium on VLSI Circuits (VLSIC), Honolulu, HI, 2012, pp. 116-117. doi: 10.1109/VLSIC.2012.6243817
3. I. Arsovski, T. Chandler and A. Sheikholeslami, “A ternary content-addressable memory (TCAM) based on 4T static storage and including a current-race sensing scheme,” in IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, vol. 38, no. 1, pp. 155-158, Jan 2003. doi: 10.1109/JSSC.2002.806264

Upload presentations here

• Introduction to Design Flow Lecture Slides
• Introduction to Design Automation Lecture Slides

• System and Netlist partitioning Lecture Slides
• Floor planning Lecture Slides

• Placement Lecture Slides

• Global Routing Lecture Slides
• Routing Lecture Slides

• Physical Synthesis Lecture Slides