Abstract
An overview is presented of the challenges and available solutions in applying top-down design to mixed analog-digital systems. The progress in VLSI technology allows the integration of complex systems on a chip, containing both analog and digital parts. In order to boost the design productivity and guarantee the optimality of such systems while meeting the time to market constraints, a systematic top-down design approach has to be followed with sufficient time and attention paid to system-level architectural design before proceeding to the detailed block design. Also the reuse of macrocells will be unavoidable. System exploration tools will be presented that enable analog-digital co-design and allow to analyze architectural alternatives and trade-offs such as analog-digital partitioning. The crucial elements for analog high-level design (analog behavioral models and power estimators) will then be described in detail. Finally, an overview is given of current techniques for analog circuit synthesis and for mixed-signal layout assembly. Clearly, a top-down approach will be unavoidable for designing future complex systems, but also the remaining challenges to be solved for will be highlighted.
also research associate of the Belgian National Fund of Scientific Research (FWO-V)
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Gielen, G.G.E. (1999). Top-Down Design of Mixed-Mode Systems: Challenges and Solutions. In: Huijsing, J., van de Plassche, R., Sansen, W. (eds) Analog Circuit Design. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2983-2_12
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2983-2_12
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