High-Level Modeling and Synthesis of Analog Integrated Systems

As the miniaturization of semiconductor technology continues, electronic s- tems on chips o?er a more extensive and more complex functionality with better performance, higher frequencies and less power consumption. Whereas digital designers can take full advantage of the availability of design auto- tiontoolstobuildhugesystems,thelackofsupportbycomputerprogramsfor di?erent abstraction levels makes analog design a time-consuming handcraft which limits the possibilities to implement large systems. Various approaches for?ndingoptimalvaluesfortheparametersofanalogcells,likeopamps,have been investigated since the mid-1980s, and they have made their entrance in commercial applications. However, a larger impact on the performance is - pected if tools are developed which operate on a higher abstraction level and consider multiple architectural choices to realize a particular functionality. In this book, the opportunities, conditions, problems, solutions and systematic methodologies for this new generation of analog CAD tools are examined. Theoutlineofthisbookisasfollows. Inthe?rstpart,thecharacteristicsof the analog design process are systematically analyzed and several approaches for automated analog synthesis are summarized. Comparison of their prop- ties with the requirements for high-level synthesis of analog and mixed-signal systems results in a new design paradigm: the high-level design ?ow based on generic behavior. This design approach involves a modeling strategy using generic behavioral models and a synthesis strategy leading to the exploration of a heterogeneous design space containing di?erent architectures. The modeling strategy is further elaborated in Part II.

One of the first books with systematic study of analog CAD tools for high-level synthesis Describes one of the most time-efficient high-level simulation models for Delta-Sigma modulators Describes a unique framework for modeling RF systems Describes one of the first synthesis algorithms to convert a functional description into different architectures depending on the required performance

Auteur

Ewout S.J. MARTENS obtained the MsC and PhD degrees in Electrical Engineering from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium in 2001 and 2007, respectively. For his PhD work, he has been awarded a research fellowship from the Fund for Scientific Research (FWO) of Flanders, Belgium. Currently, he is working as a research assistant at the ESAT-MICAS laboratories of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.

His research interests are in the development of systematic techniques and methodologies suited for implementation in analog CAD tools. Specific research topics include the modeling of A-to-D converters and of RF front-end architectures, and the high-level synthesis and architectural exploration of analog and mixedsignal systems. Several results have been described in various papers published in international journals and presented at multiple international conferences. He also is a member of the Program Committee of the DATE conference.

Georges G.E. GIELEN received the MSc and PhD degrees in Electrical Engineering from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium, in 1986 and 1990, respectively. In 1990, he was appointed as a postdoctoral research assistant and visiting lecturer at the department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science of the University of California, Berkeley. From 1991 to 1993, he was a postdoctoral research assistant of the Belgian National Fund of Scientific Research at the ESAT laboratory of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. In 1993, he was appointed assistant professor at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, where he promoted to full professor in 2000.

His research interests are in the design of analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits, and especially in analog and mixed-signal CAD tools and design automation (modeling, simulation and symbolic analysis, analog synthesis, analog layout generation, analog and mixed-signal testing). He is coordinator or partner of several (industrial) research projects in thisarea, including several European projects (EU, MEDEA, ESA). He has authored or coauthored five books and more than 300 papers in edited books, international journals and conference proceedings. He regularly is a member of the Program Committees of international conferences (DAC, ICCAD, ISCAS, DATE, CICC...), and served as General Chair of the DATE conference in 2006. He serves regularly as member of editorial boards of international journals (IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems, Springer international journal on Analog Integrated Circuits and Signal Processing, Elsevier Integration). He received the 1995 Best Paper Award in the John Wiley international journal on Circuit Theory and Applications, and was the 1997 Laureate of the Belgian Royal Academy on Sciences, Literature and Arts in the discipline of Engineering. He received the 2000 Alcatel Award from the Belgian National Fund of Scientific Research for his innovative research in telecommunications, and won the DATE 2004 Best Paper Award. He is a Fellow of the IEEE, served as elected member of the Board of Governors of the IEEE Circuits And Systems (CAS) society and as chairman of the IEEE Benelux CAS chapter. He served as the President of the IEEE Circuits And Systems (CAS) Society in 2005. He was elected DATE Fellow in 2007, and received the IEEE Computer Society Outstanding Contribution Award and the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society Meritorious Service Award in 2007.

Texte du rabat

Various approaches for finding optimal values for the parameters of analog cells, like op amps, have been investigated since the mid-1980s, and they have made their entrance in commercial applications. However, a larger impact on the performance is expected if tools are developed which operate on a higher abstraction level and consider multiple architectural choices to realize a particular functionality. High-Level Modeling and Synthesis of Analog Integrated Systems examines the opportunities, conditions, problems, solutions and systematic methodologies for this new generation of analog CAD tools.

A new design paradigm is defined for high-level synthesis of AMS systems: the high-level design flow based on generic behavior. This design approach involves a modeling strategy using generic behavioral models and a synthesis strategy leading to the exploration of a heterogeneous design space containing different architectures. In High-Level Modeling and Synthesis of Analog Integrated Systems, two novel generic behavioral models are described. The first one adopts a time-domain approach and is suited for classes like Delta-Sigma modulators and sampled-data systems. For the second model, a new frequency-domain framework has been developed (the Phase- Frequency Transfer model) which allows the representation of classes of RF systems like front-ends of wireless receivers. To complete the high-level design strategy, the synthesis strategy has been concretized with a new top-down heterogeneous optimization algorithm.

The general high-level design methodology for AMS systems and its concrete applications developed in this book serve as a fundamental framework for a new generation of analog CAD tools. By providing support for automated design space exploration at the architectural level, they realize an increase in design productivity.

Contenu
Analog Design Methodologies.- Foundations of Design Flows for Analog and Mixed-Signal Systems.- Analog and Mixed-Signal Design Strategies.- Generic Behavioral Modeling.- Time-Domain Generic Behavioral Models.- Frequency-Domain Generic Behavioral Models.- Top-Down Heterogeneous Synthesis.- Top-Down Heterogeneous Optimization.- Conclusions.