CMOS switch logic design. Students are given access to the Sun Microsystems Lab computers upon which reside the Cadence and Avanti software programs. Students have free access to the Sun Microsystems computers upon which they can do their project work. All of the lectures and the majority of the exams are based on math, science, and engineering knowledge. Students must learn how to analyze the propagation delay of various CMOS gates starting from basic physics principles.
Mathematical formulations are commonplace throughout the course.
Various methods and styles of performing digital logic at the transistor level are studied. A significant component of designing and developing a real world application, and indeed the projects in this class, is the ensure that one's system performs to specification in the intended environment. The three projects are design competitions in which the students compete to see which team can achieve the best circuit specifications. Students design and implement three significant integrated circuit blocks, subject to design specifications and constraints. An ability to function on a multi-disciplinary teams.