Research is conducted in VLSI circuits and computer-aided design, building blocks for new circuit technology, integrated circuit testing and fault diagnosis, digital signal processing, computer-aided synthesis, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and design of low-power circuits. Software tools are under development to assist engineers in the simulation and design of VLSI circuits.
Portable communication and computation have driven the need for low-power electronics. Recent progress has been made in creating tools for estimating power dissipation in CMOS circuits. The research approach is to use accurate and efficient power estimation techniques to drive the design of new low-power systems. Software tools for testing integrated circuits, rapid fault simulation, and failure analysis are also being developed.
New solid state technology and logic devices have provided the opportunity to change the way that digital systems are designed. Recent research has been initiated on automatic architecture synthesis for FPGAs, hardware and software co-design, low-power datapath synthesis, and smart power SiC integrated circuits.
The VLSI Design and Test Laboratory consists of a suite of high-performance workstations, integrated circuit testers, and commercial computer-aided design software. The laboratory is used for designing low-power and highly testable integrated circuits and for developing design automation software for fault diagnosis, testing, simulation, power estimation, and synthesis.
