This course provides hands-on instruction in high-speed CMOS circuit design. You focus on using hand estimation and SPICE simulation to rapidly and accurately design circuits, choosing the appropriate domino design and advanced synchronous and asynchronous timing methodologies used in high-speed applications, and designing fast ALUs and memories. Weekly assignments build toward the final project of a simple microprocessor execution unit running more than 500 MHZ.
Mastering the topics of this course will transform your circuit design experience from the drudgery of piloting a circuit simulator into the exciting adventure of pushing chips to their utmost limits. Engineers who would like to hone their circuit design skills or who have background in another field of VLSI design and would like to move to circuit design would benefit from this course. Enrollment is limited.
Prerequisites: An introductory class covering CMOS circuit design and an understanding of static CMOS gate design and familiarity with layout. Students are also required to have the ability to access SPICE outside of class.
DAVID HARRIS, M.Eng.E.E, is working on a Ph.D. in high-speed circuit design at Stanford University while investigating asynchronous circuit techniques at Sun Microsystems Laboratories. He has designed cutting-edge microprocessors at Intel Corporation and won teaching awards at MIT and Stanford.
UC Berkeley Extension
2 Units
10 evenings
Feb. 19 to April 30: Thurs., 6:30-9:30 pm (no meeting on 1 date to be arranged)
Atherton: Florence Moore Bldg, Menlo College, Valparsaiso Ave. near
El Camino Real. Enter from Valparaiso between Michaels and Victoria
at University Dr. $425 (EDP 323659)