VLSI CAD Part II: Layout

You should complete the VLSI CAD Part I: Logic course before beginning this course. A modern VLSI chip is a remarkably complex beast: billions of transistors, millions of logic gates deployed for computation and control, big blocks of memory, embedded blocks of pre-designed functions designed by third parties (called “intellectual property” or IP blocks). How do people manage to design these complicated chips? Answer: a sequence of computer aided design (CAD) tools takes an abstract description of the chip, and refines it step-wise to a final design. This class focuses on the major design tools used in the creation of an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) or System on Chip (SoC) design. Our focus in this part of the course is on the key logical and geometric representations that make it possible to map from logic to layout, and in particular, to place, route, and evaluate the timing of large logic networks. Our goal is for students to understand how the tools themselves work, at the level of their fundamental algorithms and data structures. Topics covered will include: technology mapping, timing analysis, and ASIC placement and routing. Recommended Background: Programming experience (C, C++, Java, Python, etc.) and basic knowledge of data structures and algorithms (especially recursive algorithms). An understanding of basic digital design: Boolean algebra, Kmaps, gates and flip flops, finite state machine design. Linear algebra and calculus at the level of a junior or senior in engineering. Elementary knowledge of RC linear circuits (at the level of an introductory physics class).

Status: Application Specific Integrated Circuits

Status: Computational Logic

IntermediateCourse24 hours

Featured reviews

5.0Reviewed Jun 19, 2020

Great great great course. Highly recommended for people interested in VLSI CAD design.

5.0Reviewed Apr 24, 2020

Nicely explained and well structured course and the best part of the course is the way of teaching and assignment ..Keep learning and keep growing..

5.0Reviewed Sep 23, 2019

An awesome course which I can put to great use in my academic life.

5.0Reviewed Jul 14, 2021

Very well curated course! It is exhaustive in terms of the invigorating assignments and the lucid explanations help satiate the curiosity about the journey from Logic->Layout in VLSI.

5.0Reviewed May 14, 2020

It was a great course, I learned a lot of new things from it. And the presentation and explanation of concepts by Prof. Rob A. Rutenbar were amazing!!!

5.0Reviewed Aug 21, 2022

this course was assum thanking you coursera for given this wondarful opportinuty.

5.0Reviewed Jul 30, 2019

Good course content and prof. `s teaching method makes it easy to comprehend quite quickly.

4.0Reviewed Apr 12, 2024

Great course covering all the fundamentals needed for the subject with a little bit challenging set of assignments to make you understand the subject matters.

5.0Reviewed Oct 21, 2018

Great basic overview of the core design principles for EDA

5.0Reviewed Jun 22, 2020

Excellent ; every on who's specialisation is VLSI has to do this course;

5.0Reviewed Jun 27, 2023

Excellent course to understand the concepts of Placement, Mapping, Routing and Static Timing Analysis

5.0Reviewed May 30, 2020

Great course with a lot of specific knowledge I would not have been able to find online on my own.

All reviews

Showing: 20 of 55

Tanj Bennett

3.0

Reviewed Jan 2, 2022

Title should be "Algorithms for layout and timing in VLSI CAD". This course contains nothing that teaches you VLSI design or actual use of modern EDA tools. It does present an interesting and clear explanation of basic algorithms, so if that is what you are looking for (either because you want to create such tools, or you like to know what is happening inside them) this is a recommended course, but if you are looking for how to work with VLSI CAD tools, this is not it.

Divyang Thakkar

5.0

Reviewed Jul 7, 2019

A very good course for students who want to have an understanding of Physical Design process in semiconductor industry. I want to thank professor for making this course so informative. A must for people looking to dive deep into Electronics.

Mohammad Hizzani

4.0

Reviewed Sep 2, 2018

It was a great experience, really great lecturer without exaggerating, but the programming assignment 3 (which is optional) was totally a nightmare, I wrote about 1000 line of code to do both the essential and the extra parts, but not yet.

I hope there was another course for design using HDL like Verilog or System Verilog.

Naman Sharma

5.0

Reviewed Jun 16, 2020

This course is good for anyone who wants himself in the EDA industry. The teacher is very passionate and engaging, the content is thorough and well prepared.

girisubash arla

5.0

Reviewed Nov 1, 2022

thanks Coursera,

for given me a wonderful opportinituty it was very help me to completion of my VLSI Mtech

thanks & Regards,

Arla Girisubash

Venkata Krishna M

5.0

Reviewed Aug 14, 2020

Very well structured and thoughtfully and intelligently explained. The professor is very enthusiastic, fluent ,concise and effective in his explanation. Please do note however that the course is quite rigorous and challenging and you might have to allocate quite some time for it as the problem sets require way more time than what is mentioned in the website.

shant C

5.0

Reviewed May 28, 2020

This is a wonderful course for new collage graduates as well as working professionals. I want to sincerely thank Dr. Rutenbar for creating this course. He is easy to understand, and has structured the topics very well. The examples and quizzes are very well designed.

Robin Martens

5.0

Reviewed Dec 30, 2018

As a software developer without background in EE I have always wondered how Boolean logic is turned into actual physical hardware, and this course (along with its predecessor "VLSI CAD Part I: Logic") has answered all my questions.

Mahesh Jasti

5.0

Reviewed Jan 1, 2021

Great teaching material, Challenging assignments to test our knowledge, goo quizzes and an amazing learning experience overall. I recommend this course to everyone who is interested in making Physical ASIC design as their career.

Gaurav Kumar

5.0

Reviewed May 2, 2021

The video lectures, study materials, etc. everything has been expertly designed and the instructor makes it super easy to understand the basics of even seemingly difficult and complex topics. Hats off !!

Shanvi Kukreti

5.0

Reviewed Jul 14, 2021

Very well curated course! It is exhaustive in terms of the invigorating assignments and the lucid explanations help satiate the curiosity about the journey from Logic->Layout in VLSI.

Mythili M

5.0

Reviewed May 14, 2020

It was a great course, I learned a lot of new things from it. And the presentation and explanation of concepts by Prof. Rob A. Rutenbar were amazing!!!

Gourav Saini

5.0

Reviewed Apr 24, 2020

Nicely explained and well structured course and the best part of the course is the way of teaching and assignment ..Keep learning and keep growing..

Chang-Hun Kim

5.0

Reviewed Mar 18, 2021

Thank you for your great Lecture! It is really helpful to understand the basic principal of Layout & techmap algorithm.

Azwad Tamir

5.0

Reviewed Jun 14, 2020

It delivers what it promises in a structured and concise manner which makes the whole experience fast and effective.

Satyajit Mondal

5.0

Reviewed Jun 28, 2023

Excellent course to understand the concepts of Placement, Mapping, Routing and Static Timing Analysis

Vincent TABLEAU ROCHE

5.0

Reviewed May 30, 2020

Great course with a lot of specific knowledge I would not have been able to find online on my own.

kanishk jeet

5.0

Reviewed Jul 30, 2019

Good course content and prof. `s teaching method makes it easy to comprehend quite quickly.

Sujoy Mondal

5.0

Reviewed Jun 19, 2020

Great great great course. Highly recommended for people interested in VLSI CAD design.

Saleh Rashid

5.0

Reviewed Sep 11, 2023

Excellent course. Learn really a lot. Instructor is sea of knowledge.

Loved it :)