A Top-Down, Constraint-Driven Design Methodology for Analog Integrated Circuits

Analog circuit design is often the bottleneck when designing mixed analog-digital systems. The principal goals are: (1) developing the design methodology, (2) developing and applying new tools, and (3) `proving' the methodology by undertaking `industrial strength' design examples. Analog circuit design is often the bottleneck when designing mixed analog-digital systems. This text presents a methodology based on a top-down, constraint-driven design paradigm that provides a solution to this problem.Analog circuit design is often the bottleneck when designing mixed analog-digital systems. This text presents a methodology based on a top-down, constraint-driven design paradigm that provides a solution to this problem. This methodology has two principal advantages: it provides a high probability for the first silicon which meets all specifications, and it shortens the design cycle. It is part of an ongoing research effort at the University of California at Berkeley in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences Department. This work is divided into three parts. Chapter 2 presents the design methodology along with foundation material. Chapters 3-8 describe supporting concepts for the methodology, from behavioural simulation and modelling to circuit module generators. Finally, chapters 9-11 illustrate the methodology in detail by presenting the entire design cycle through three large-scale examples. These include the design of a current source D/A converter, a S- A/D converter, and a video driver system. Chapter 12 presents conclusions and current research topics.