ChipCraft: The Art of Chip Design (Albuquerque, NM)

Overview

This intensive two-week course equips participants with essential knowledge and extensive hands-on experience in chip design, testing, and debugging, culminating in the fabrication of silicon chips. It is ideal for technical and non-technical individuals seeking to develop semiconductor design know-how.

No Prior Hardware Experience Required: We welcome participants with diverse backgrounds, as no prior experience with hardware is necessary. Non-technical participants may gain the most from the first two or three modules, while subsequent modules develop technical skills.

Cloud-Based Learning: This course is delivered using web-based environments that incorporate open-source electronic design automation (EDA) solutions, ensuring accessibility and ease of use. Hardware is provided that is programmed via USB. Participants must bring their own laptop all ten days, since government laptops may block USB access as well as access to some required websites.

Semiconductor Industry: This course exposes the complex interactions between various players in the semiconductor ecosystem and the many roles and tools involved in designing and fabricating chips.

Digital Logic Design: Participants learn modern techniques in digital logic design, simulation, and debugging. They develop various digital circuits including a RISC-V CPU core.

ASIC and FPGA Development: In this course, participants design their own silicon for fabrication! In class, participants prototype their designs using field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). They “tape-out” their designs, and subsequently, designs are fabricated, packaged, and integrated onto a printed circuit board!

Post-Silicon Validation: In addition to the main class time, participants have the opportunity to engage in technical, in-person bring-up and validation sessions conducted on later days after receiving their fabricated silicon.

Instructor

Steve is the founder of Redwood EDA, a startup focused on next-generation digital circuit design and the democratization of semiconductor technologies. He is actively driving forward the Transaction-Level Verilog standard and provides the Makerchip online IDE for open-source semiconductor design.

Formerly, as an engineer with DEC, Compaq, and Intel, Steve designed components for Alpha, Itanium, and x86 server CPUs and network architectures. Steve holds a BS in electrical engineering summa cum laude from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and an MS in computer science from the University of Illinois.

Target Audience

DoD, Government or Government Affiliated employees only. Must register with your organizational email and will be notified within one week of course acceptance.

Course Outline

Participants may enroll for any or all of the following modules.

Module 1, May 17, 2024: The Semiconductor Industry, An Overview

Format: Lecture

Audience: This module is ideal for professionals across diverse roles within the semiconductor industry and related fields, including: Program Managers, Test Engineers, Product Engineers, Technicians, Technical Managers. Whether you are involved in project management, testing, product development, maintenance, or leadership, this module offers valuable insights and skills that are essential for success in the dynamic semiconductor industry landscape.

Topics:

• The world of microelectronics
• History and terminology of microelectronics
• Semiconductor supply chain
• Design, fabrication, assembly, and test
• Analog and Mixed Signal Designs

Module 2, May 20-21, 2024: Design Roles, Tools, Flows, and Methodologies

Format: Lecture

Audience: This module is well-suited for individuals interested in gaining knowledge about the entire semiconductor design cycle, regardless of whether they plan to engage in chip or circuit design professionally, as a hobby, or for educational purposes.

Topics:

• Design teams and roles
• Overview of design tools
• Design flows and methodologies
• Design languages
• Tool details
• Transaction-level design methodology

Module 3, May 22-23, 2024: Digital Logic Design and Tools

Format: Mini-lectures and numerous labs and activities

Audience: This module is appropriate for those who did not major in EE/ECE/CS in college who wish to enter into the world of digital logic design or for those who could use a refresher.

Topics:

• Digital Logic
  • Introducing digital logic design including combinational logic, sequential logic, and pipelined logic
  • Learning online digital design tools including the Wokwi and Makerchip platforms
  • Exploring the journey from hardware description to silicon using the Tiny Tapeout flow
  • Hands-on design using hardware prototyping with a field-programmable logic array (FPGA) based Tiny Tapeout evaluation board
• Programs and CPUs
  • Compilers
  • Assemblers and Disassemblers
  • RISC-V instruction set architecture
  • CPUs–hardware execution of instructions

Module 4, May 24, May 28-29, 2024: RISC-V CPU Design

(Note: no class on Memorial Day 5/27/24)

Format: Series of mini-labs, leading to the implementation of a RISC-V CPU core

Audience: This module is a follow-on to Module 3. Those who majored in EE/ECE/CS in college may wish to skip Module 3 and begin their hands-on journey with this module.

Topics:

• A review/refresher of Module 3
• Building a single-cycle RISC-V subset CPU core
• Pipelining the RISC-V CPU core for higher performance
• Completing the CPU for most RISC-V (RV32I) instructions
• “Taping out” the CPU using Tiny Tapeout
• Project ideas, team formation, project selection

Module 5, May 30-31, 2024: Final Project (and a few hours, months later, after manufacturing)

Format: Open projects

Audience: This module is for those who completed Module 3 and/or Module 4

Topics:

• Defining and implementing an individual or small-team final project to design a Tiny Tapeout ASIC
• Designing and debugging the project
• Taping out and submitting the design
• (Months later) Testing packaged and mounted parts on the Tiny Tapeout boards

Every business day from 8 AM until 5 PM

In-person

Hilton Garden Inn Albuquerque, Uptown, 6510 Americas Parkway NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110

Any questions, please contact Susan Funk

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