This book describes a new type of computer aided VLSI design tool, called a VLSI System Planning, that is meant to aid designers dur­ ing the early, or conceptual, state of design. During this stage of design, the objective is to define a general design plan, or approach, that is likely to result in an efficient implementation satisfying the initial specifications, or to determine that the initial specifications are not realizable. A design plan is a collection of high level design decisions. As an example, the conceptual design of digital filters involves choosing the type of algorithm to implement (e. g. , finite impulse response or infinite impulse response), the type of polyno­ mial approximation (e. g. , Equiripple or Chebyshev), the fabrication technology (e. g. , CMOS or BiCMOS), and so on. Once a particu­ lar design plan is chosen, the detailed design phase can begin. It is during this phase that various synthesis, simulation, layout, and test activities occur to refine the conceptual design, gradually filling more detail until the design is finally realized. The principal advantage of VLSI System Planning is that the increasingly expensive resources of the detailed design process are more efficiently managed. Costly redesigns are minimized because the detailed design process is guided by a more credible, consistent, and correct design plan.

Inhalt

1 Introduction.- 1.1 Benefits of VLSI System Planning.- 1.2 VLSI System Planning Overview.- 1.3 Comparisons to Previous Related Efforts.- 1.3.1 General Problem Solving Research.- 1.3.2 VLSI Design Research.- 1.3.3 DSP Synthesis Research.- 1.4 Organization of Book.- 2 Alternatives Exploration.- 2.1 Formalizing Design Knowledge.- 2.2 Hierarchy: Controlling Complexity.- 2.3 Constraints.- 2.3.1 Ordering Constraints.- 2.3.2 Consistency Constraints.- 2.4 Delaying Design Decisions.- 2.5 Backtracking: Changing Design Decisions.- 3 Design Assistance.- 3.1 Advice.- 3.1.1 Type of Design Advice.- 3.1.2 Basis of Design Advice: Discrimination Factors.- 3.1.3 Ranking of Design Advice.- 3.2 Prediction.- 3.2.1 Taxonomy of Prediction Models.- 3.2.1.1 Heuristic Models.- 3.2.1.2 Analytical Models.- 3.2.1.2.1 Probability Theory.- 3.2.1.2.2 Graph and Information Theory.- 3.2.1.3 Simulation Models.- 3.2.2 Invoking the Prediction Models.- 4 General Software Architecture.- 4.1 User Interface.- 4.2 Conventional/AI Software Integration.- 4.2.1 Rule-Based Expert System Architecture.- 4.2.2 Data-Driven and Procedure-Driven Control.- 4.3 The Knowledge Base.- 4.3.1 Blackboard Architecture.- 4.3.1.1 Advice Knowledge Sources.- 4.3.1.2 Prediction Knowledge Sources.- 4.3.2 State and Context Switching.- 4.3.3 Controlling Search Time.- 5 A DSP VLSI System Planner.- 5.1 Algorithmic and Architectural Issues.- 5.1.1 Filter Algorithms.- 5.1.1.1 Time-Domain Characterizations.- 5.1.1.2 Frequency-Domain Characterization.- 5.1.1.3 Discrimination Factors.- 5.1.2 Polynomial Approximation Techniques.- 5.1.2.1 Discrimination Factors.- 5.1.3 Filter Architectures.- 5.1.3.1 Algorithm-Specific Architectures.- 5.1.3.2 Filter Structures.- 5.1.3.2.1 Discrimination Factors.- 5.1.3.3 Pipelining.- 5.1.3.3.1 Discrimination Factors.- 5.2 Logical Level Issues.- 5.2.1 Adder Logic Designs.- 5.2.1.1 Discrimination Factors.- 5.2.2 Multiplier Logic Designs.- 5.2.2.1 Encoding Techniques.- 5.2.2.1.1 Discrimination Factors.- 5.2.2.2 Array Designs.- 5.2.2.2.1 Discrimination Factors.- 5.2.2.3 Final Adder Designs.- 5.3 Circuit and Physical Level Issues.- 5.3.1 Layout Design Styles.- 5.3.1.1 Discrimination Factors.- 5.3.2 Fabrication Technologies.- 5.3.2.1 Discrimination Factors.- 6 A DSP Prediction Methodology.- 6.1 Algorithmic Level Predictions.- 6.1.1 FIR-related Prediction Models.- 6.1.2 IIR-related Prediction Models.- 6.2 Architectural Level Predictions.- 6.3 Logical Level Predictions.- 6.3.1 Basic Full Adder.- 6.3.2 Word Size.- 6.3.3 Adder Logic Prediction Models.- 6.3.4 Multiplier Logic Predictions.- 6.4 Physical Level Predictions.- 6.5 Experimental Results.- 7 Yoda: Sample Planning Session.- 7.1 Constraints and Delaying Decisions.- 7.2 Advice and Consistency Constraints.- 7.3 Qualitative and Quantitative Advice.- 7.4 Context Switching and Subplans.- 7.5 Backtracking.- 7.6 Invoking Prediction Models.- 8 Summary.- 8.1 Future Work.- A Commercial Digital Filter ICs.- A.1 TRW.- A.2 NCR.- A.3 Harris.- A.4 Zoran.- A.5 Inmos.- A.6 Motorola.- B Software Implementation Details.- B.1 Bicorporal Architecture.- B.2 Alternatives Exploration Subsystem.- B.2.1 Representing Plans.- B.2.2 Representing Constraints.- B.3 Design Assistance Subsystem.- B.3.1 Representing Knowledge Sources.- B.4 Code Management.- Biblography.