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Cadence Tools in EECS Courses

Cadence design automation tools are used as a major component in ten recurring undergraduate and graduate courses here at the University of Michigan in addition to special topics courses:

• EECS 311: Electronic Circuits
  Students use the Virtuoso Schematic Editor and Spectre (Custom IC) in the analysis of various mosfet and bipolar transistor circuits, including basic amplifiers.
• EECS 312: Digital Integrated Circuits
  Students use the Virtuoso Schematic Editor and Analog Design Environment (Custom IC) to design and test basic digital logic as an aid to understanding digital logic design.
• EECS 413: Monolithic Amplifier Circuits
  Students use the Virtuoso Schematic Editor and Spectre (Custom IC) in the design and analysis of more complex mosfet and bipolar-based amplifiers.
• EECS 425: Integrated Microsystems Laboratory
  Students use the Virtuoso Schematic Editor and Spectre (Custom IC) in the design and analysis of MEMS transducers and E/D NMOS circuits which will be fabricated at the on-site fab.
• EECS 427: VLSI Design I
  This introductory VLSI design course is organized around a design project in which students design 16-bit RISC microcontrollers in small teams. The microcontroller is based on a standard instruction set architecture. Each group customizes the standard architecture to fit its particular application. Students learn all aspects of a full-custom design methodology including schematic capture, functional verification, mask-level layout entry and verification, and circuit simulation with back-annotated parasitics. Students are also exposed to elements of cell-based design including logic synthesis and automatic place and route. Cadence tools used include :
  • Virtuoso Schematic Editor, Analog Design Environment, Layout Editor (Custom IC)
  • Cadence Encounter (Digital IC)
  • Cadence NC-Verilog (Verification)
• EECS 511: Integrated Analog/Digital Interface Circuits
  Students use the Virtuoso Schematic Editor and Spectre (Cutsom IC) in the design and analysis of complete analog to digital converters.
• EECS 522: Analog Integrated Circuits
  Virtuoso Schematic and Layout Editors, and Spectre (Custom IC) are used in the design of amplifiers, voltage references, rectifiers, mixers, oscillators and PLLs.
• EECS 570: parallel Computer Architecture
  This advanced course in computer architecture involves a project related to parallelism recently students have been led in using JasperGold to try and prove SVA properties on RTL processor designs using the JasperGold FPV app
• EECS 627: VLSI Design II
  This advanced course in VLSI design builds on the experience students get in EECS427. Like EECS427, it is also project-oriented, though students tend to work alone or in pairs on this project. Projects are typically large cell-based designs emphasizing a top-down design approach in which students first implement and verify the design in an HDL, then move on to synthesis, compilation and timing/functional/physical verification. Emphasis is placed on more advanced and automated tools and methodologies. Alternate technologies such as GaAs are also covered. Cadence tools used include :
  • Spectre, Virtuoso Schematic Editor, Analog Design Environment, and Layout Editor (Custom IC)
  • Cadence Encounter (Digital IC)
  • Cadence NC-Verilog (Verification)
• EECS 628: Advanced High Performance VLSI Design
  This course which is taught every other year is about advanced issues in VLSI design addressing the areas of high performance, low power and reliability. Students use the tools they learned to use in previous courses to complete an advanced project. Topics covered include recent approaches in leakage control, high speed on-chip communication, memory design, soft error failures, noise analysis and control, error tolerant design, and new circuit families. Tool use varies but often includes:
  • Spectre, Virtuoso Schematic Editor, Analog Design Environment, and Layout Editor (Custom IC)
  • Cadence Encounter (Digital IC)
  • Cadence NC-Verilog (Verification)

Cadence Tools in Research

Cadence tools are used in a variety of labs and research projects here at the University of Michigan. They include:

• Michigan Integrated Circuits Lab
• Center for Wireless Integrated MicroSensing & Systems
• The Computer Engineering Laboratory
• University of Michigan UNIC (Ulta high-speed Nonlinear Integrated Circuit lab)
• WICS (Wireless Integrated Circuits and Systems)
• MINT (Multimodal Integrated NeuroTechnology)
• The Solid State Electronics Lab (now Solid-State Devices and Nanotechnology)
• Power Electronics and Energy Studios (PEERS) ad the University of Michigan
• Flynn Research Group
• VLSI-SP Research Group
• Radiation Laboratory

Last modified on July 19, 2023. Page maintained by Joel VanLaven

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