Essential Knowledge for Transistor-Level LSI Circuit Design

This
book is a collection of the miscellaneous knowledge essential for
transistor-level LSI circuit design, summarized as the issues that need to be
considered in each design step. To design an LSI that actually functions and to
be able to properly measure it, an extremely large amount of diverse, detailed
knowledge is necessary. Even though one may read a textbook about an op-amp,
for example, the op-amp circuit design may not actually be possible to complete
in one’s CAD tools. The first half of this text explains important design
issues such as the operating principles of CAD tools,
including schematic entry, SPICE simulation, layout and verification, and
RC extraction. Then, mistake-prone topics for many circuit design beginners, resulting
from their lack of consideration of these subjects, are explained including IO
buffers, noise, and problems due tothe progress of miniaturization. Following
these topics, basic but very specialized issues for LSI circuit measurement are
explained including measurement devices and measurement techniques. Readers
will have the simulated experience of the whole flow from top to bottom of
circuit design and measurement. The book will be useful for newcomers to a lab
or to new graduates who are assigned to a circuit design group but have little
experience in circuit design. This published work is also ideal for those who
have some experience in circuit design, to confirm and complement the knowledge
that they already possess.