It is said that having tape-out experience can show your practical ability in actual projects and the degree of understanding of the entire design process. The importance of tape-out experience is self-evident.
What is Chip Tape-out
Chips are manufactured through a series of process steps like an assembly line, which is tape-out. In the chip manufacturing process, there are generally two periods of time that can be called tape-outs.
Tape- out: English Tape Out. In the field of integrated circuit design, "tape-out" refers to "trial production", which means that after the circuit is designed, a few or dozens of pieces are produced for testing. If the test passes, mass production will start like this.
From design to mass production of a chip, tape-out is a very critical link. When the chip is fully designed, it needs to be etched on the wafer according to the drawings. What kind of process technology is used, what size wafer is used, and the complexity of the chip will affect the success rate and cost of the chip, and many chips are It is not possible to successfully tape out once, and it often takes multiple tape-outs to obtain a more ideal effect.
In order to test whether the integrated circuit design is successful, it is necessary to carry out tape-out, that is, from a circuit diagram to a chip, to check whether each process step is feasible, and to check whether the circuit has the performance and functions we want.
If the tape-out is successful, chips can be manufactured on a large scale; otherwise, we need to find out the reasons and optimize the design accordingly.
Is digital ic tape-out experience important?
For chips, a complete chip project includes the tape-out link. Participating in tape-out can also help you learn better in the IC development process.
For example, when making baseband chips, what are the scenarios for low power consumption and what strategies are there for low power consumption, from design to implementation to application level... all of these require support/assistance in the tape-out process. Because you can't just care about the principle, you also need to know what are the uncertain factors in tape-out, and take effective measures to avoid them.
In this way, every time you complete a chip project, you have the opportunity to further set standards for yourself, optimize your workflow, improve work efficiency, and ensure delivery quality.
For engineers, the process of waiting for tape-out is difficult, but the sense of accomplishment after tape-out is also overwhelming.
Now IC Xiuzhen Academy launches [ASIC chip design full-process project practical course], based on IPA image processing accelerator, taking enterprise-level real ASIC projects as a case, students can participate in the whole process project practice, and 65nm real tape-out!
Looking at the entire IC master circle, there are only a few colleges and universities that are capable of arranging tape-outs. Therefore, the students who have participated in the tape-out seriously are really rare.
This time, the IC Cultivation Institute launched a project that can be taped to help students in need solve this problem.
This course is based on IPA, namely "Image Processing Accelerator", which is called Image Processing Accelerator in Chinese.
This is a specially designed chip module, which is mainly used to complete tasks such as image data collection, input, storage, gridding/windowing and image format conversion, and can realize image processing acceleration to provide high-performance image processing functions .
Image processing acceleration is one of the cutting-edge subdivision research fields in the industry. For example, IC giant Nvidia is a senior player in this field.
Next, let's take a look at what the IPA project is? What knowledge skills and advantages can be obtained after learning?
Students who understand the tape-out project can directly click here: Learn about the actual combat of the tape-out project (specific introduction)
Learn about the IPA project
Image data collection : The IPA module realizes the efficient collection of original image data through the interface with the infrared image sensor. It is capable of handling image data of different types and sources, ensuring data accuracy and integrity.
Data storage : The IPA module has a data cache function, which can temporarily store a large amount of image data. Through the caching mechanism, it can balance the flow rate difference of image data and ensure the continuity and stability of subsequent processing steps.
Gridding/windowing : In order to improve processing efficiency and flexibility, the IPA module has the function of gridding/windowing image data. It is able to divide image data into small image blocks and select regions of interest for processing, thereby reducing the computational load of subsequent algorithms.
Efficient data processing : Through a series of preprocessing and optimization steps, the IPA module can convert image data into a data format that can be directly used by specific algorithms. This includes operations such as data normalization, resizing, padding, and normalization to improve processing efficiency and accuracy.
DDR writing : The image data processed and converted by the IPA module is finally written into the DDR. DDR is a high-speed random access memory, which provides large capacity and fast data access capability, and provides a high-quality data basis for subsequent image processing and analysis.
What are the project advantages?
Efficient image data collection : The IPA module can efficiently collect various types of image data, image data transmitted through infrared images. This ensures that the system can handle a variety of images and adapt to the needs of different application scenarios.
Data storage and gridding/windowing functions : The IPA module has data storage and gridding/windowing functions, which can process a large amount of image data and divide it into image blocks of appropriate size. This helps improve the processing efficiency and throughput of the system and provides suitable data input for subsequent processing steps.
Flexible integration capability : The IPA module has flexible integration capability and can be seamlessly integrated with other modules and components to build a complete image processing system. It can perform efficient data interaction with data processing modules, DDR memory and other peripherals, providing powerful image processing functions for the system.
High performance and real-time processing : The IPA module is designed and optimized for high performance and real-time image processing. Through efficient algorithm and hardware implementation, the IPA module can process a large amount of image data in a short time and meet the requirements of real-time processing.
The above project introduction and project advantages are to help us fully understand the courses and professional knowledge from a professional perspective.
Simple to understand - it is to help students who have no projects or projects with low difficulty in school, quickly run through the whole process of digital chip projects, and make a 65nm tape-out project that can be written on their resumes !
Project Highlights
It is undoubtedly a breakthrough attempt to appear in front of the public in the form of the whole process of the project for the first time! This is a great opportunity for students and students who want to enter the IC industry.
Covering three major aspects of digital design
This course will use the IPA (Image Processing Accelerator) project to draw up a spec. From digital design, to functional verification, to back-end layout and routing, it runs through the teaching project.
Students will be exposed to the three major links of digital design, functional verification, and back-end implementation of the IPA project. For students who have difficulty choosing IC design positions, it greatly reduces the cost of selection and the risk of career planning!
65nm Tape-out Project Blessing
Tape-out can be called "a coming-of-age ceremony for newcomer chip engineers", but at present, it is difficult for most colleges and universities in China to provide tape-out opportunities, which is also part of the disconnect between production and education.
Short learning period, more efficient
The course period is 4 months, and you can quickly run through the digital chip design process and learn more efficiently.
The main focus is on doing projects, and will not spend too much time explaining basic principles and knowledge. Therefore, it is only suitable for postgraduate students in IC majors with a knowledge base.
Students who understand the tape-out project can directly click here: Learn about the actual combat of the tape-out project (introduction)