Video Driver Design Example

Abstract

The design of a video driver system is the last example in our current set. New behavioral modeling, optimization, and layout techniques have beeti developed or extended from existing ones, in order to provide a full set of tools supporting the design of a class of similar mixed-signal systems. This description focuses on the “critical path” of the design. At the high-level synthesis phase, emphasis is given at the PLL behavioral models and simulation techniques. The setup of the PLL optimization problem that performs the constraint mapping, together with the appropriate optimization algorithm are also described. The novelty of the design approach includes a jitter constraint which is set at the system level and mapped onto circuit level constraints. Typically, simulation (if any, and usually only at the circuit level) is used to verify the performance at the bottom of the hierarchy, thus causing expensive design iterations. Following the “critical path” of the design, the VCO synthesis phase is depicted, with focus on the optimization approach that takes into account layout parasitics. The layout constraints generated at the circuit level are enforced during the VCO layout synthesis phase. Finally, detailed extraction of the sub-blocks and behavioral system-level simulation is used for the verification of the system performance for the PLL.