Mixed-Mode VLSI Circuit Design - 525.659

This course focuses on transistor-level design of mixed-signal CMOS integrated circuits. After reviewing fundamentals of MOSFET operation, the course will cover design of analog building blocks such as current-mirrors, bias references, amplifiers, and comparators, leading up to the design of digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital converters. Aspects of subthreshold operation, structured design, scalability, parallelism, low power-consumption, and robustness to process variations are discussed in the context of larger systems. The course will include use of Cadence design software to explore transistor operation and to perform functional-block designs, in the process of incrementally designing a data-converter front-end. Prerequisite(s): Familiarity with MOSFET and transistor level circuit design fundamentals.