Scribd
Upload
113 views27 pages

ASIC Design Classification Details

The document discusses different types of integrated circuits (ICs) and application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). It describes: 1) Different categories of ICs based on the number of gates they contain, from small-scale integration (SSI) to very large-scale integration (VLSI) and ultra-large-scale integration (ULSI). 2) The evolution of IC technology from transistor-transistor logic (TTL) to complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) which reduced power consumption. 3) The advantages of ASICs including miniaturization, lower costs and power consumption, and proprietary protection, as well as the risks of higher costs and longer time

Uploaded by

naveenchand_a6
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
113 views27 pages

ASIC Design Classification Details

The document discusses different types of integrated circuits (ICs) and application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). It describes: 1) Different categories of ICs based on the number of gates they contain, from small-scale integration (SSI) to very large-scale integration (VLSI) and ultra-large-scale integration (ULSI). 2) The evolution of IC technology from transistor-transistor logic (TTL) to complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) which reduced power consumption. 3) The advantages of ASICs including miniaturization, lower costs and power consumption, and proprietary protection, as well as the risks of higher costs and longer time

Uploaded by

naveenchand_a6
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 27

ASIC

Integrated Circuit Background


SSI (Small Scale Integration) Less than 10 gates Logic gates like 2 input NAND, XOR and other standard low functionality ICs MSI (Medium Scale Integration) 10 to 100 gates ASICs, JK flip-flops, Counters and other standard low functionality ICs LSI (Large Scale Integration) 100 to 5000 gates ASICs, Early microprocessors, Peripheral Interface ICs etc.

Integrated Circuit Background


VLSI (very large scale integration) More than 5000 gates Microprocessors, memory chips, ASICs ULSI( Ultra Large Scale Integration) More than 50,000 (50K) gates RAMS,VLIW processors. ULSI terminology is used mostly in Japan

The earliest ICs were based on the bipolar transistor logic They are classified as Transistor Transistor Logic ICs (TTL) or as Emitter Coupled Logic (ECL) ICs based on the circuit configuration. The invention of Metal Oxide Silicon (MOS) transistors in 1970 helped to reduce the power consumption and cost of Integrated Circuits.

In 1980s-Aluminium gates of the MOS transistors are replaced by polysilicon. This enables to build NMOS and PMOS on the same IC. The introduction of CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Silicon) technology in the 1980s revolutionized the Integrated Circuits. The major advantages of the CMOS technology are the reduced power consumption and high level of integration.

The major advantages of using the ASICs are Miniaturization: The usage of custom ICs will reduce the size of the end product. An ASIC may replace the functions of a number of PCBs in the system, resulting in size reduction. Lesser inventory: The reduced number of components per system reduces the inventory. This in turn reduces the cash out flow. Reduced cost and maintenance: Lesser components lead to fewer failures and lesser system down time. Maintenance will be easy. All it may need would be the replacement of a single PCB. Lower power consumption: Lesser number of components in a system reduces the power consumption. Most of the ASICs are based on the low power CMOS technology. Proprietary nature: Full protection from copycats. Your R&D investments are well protected. Performance: More and more functions can be integrated to the ASIC, without increasing the size or cost or power consumption of the product.

The major Risks of using the ASICs are Higher cost: ASIC will be always expensive than the standard components. We will have to invest more time and money for the design and development phase. The selection of the ASIC technology is very important. Time to market: The product lead time will be more for an ASIC based system. The market research team should define the requirement of the end product well in advance. Last minute changes in the specification will result in delayed market entry and revenue loss. The right product should be introduced in to the market at the right time. First time success: The ASIC design should be properly simulated and thoroughly tested to insure the first time success. Any failure will affect the time to market and resulting huge loss in revenue.

An ASIC should be designed only if a functionally equivalent standard, off the shelf. component is not available from the market. For example no engineer will design a memory ASIC to be used in his system. Instead he will use the standard components available from the market. Any IC that can be purchased by quoting a part number from the market is called a standard IC.

By this definition we can treat all RAMS, ROMS, Microprocessors, Counters, Flip-flops, Logic gates as standard ICs. A standard IC will be always listed in the data manual An IC developed for a hand held game unit. An IC used in a camera, an IC used in the smart card or the like can be classified as ASIC products. The ASIC part number will not be listed in the general Data Manual. You will not be able to buy this product from the open market against the part number.

Application Specific Standard Product (ASSP)


This is an ASIC designed to meet a specific application, but available from the market against a part number. This IC can not be classified as a standard product, since it can not be used in different applications. Some of the chips used in the PCs, modems, network controllers, remote controllers etc. can be classified under ASSPs.

TYPES OF ASICs

Full-custom ASIC Semi-custom ASIC Cell-base ASIC Gate-array-based ASIC Programmable ASIC Programmable Logic Device (PLD) Field-programmable Gate array (FPGA)

FULL CUSTOM ASICs


Engineer defines all or most of cells,circuits or layouts for that ASIC from scratch. Designer has to define the characteristics of the cells and circuits. This technology is chosen if the existing cell libraries - are not suitable for the particular design -are not fast - consume more power Most expensive design approach Full custom technology is widely used in the mixed analog digital ASICs.

Standard-Cell-Based ASIC
Cell-based IC (CBIC-sea-bick) uses predesigned logic cells known as standard cells Designer only defines the placement of the standard cells and the interconnection. Using a predesigned standard-cell library reduced design risk and time Each standard cell can be optimized individually

Standard cell library includes Sample logic gates. Functions like XOR,FF,ADDER, and COMPARATORS,ALU. Megafunctions like micropocessor cores,RAM core The mega function blocks are sometime known as fixed blocks.

By selecting the CBIC technology, the designer saves a lot of design and characterization time compared to the Full Custom technology. To customize the chip, the designer has to define the floor planning and interconnects. Like full custom design, since the placements of the cells are done at the design phase, the fabrication of the ASIC has to go through all the mask process

You might also like