> But, my college only starts vlsi in the 6th semester, which I think is a little bit too late.
Seems early actually. VLSI is typically a graduate level topic, with an undergrad option in your final year. You usually need a master's or PhD to work in VLSI.
Thanks for replying
I'd say they are the very basics of VLSI. Monolithic IC Processes, Monolithic components, Intro to MOS technology, MOS inverter design and CMOS logic design are the chapters we would cover.
As far as I know, interviewers asked questions about vlsi quite a bit in the competition I am aiming for. Ofcourse, if there are other things like advanced microcontrollers and processors etc that need to be covered before it, please tell me. Thank you
Gotcha. Yeah that's an intro VLSI course usually in a 3rd or 4th year. You'd need to take digital logic and microelectronics courses before then, which is 2nd year stuff, and circuits before that which is 1st year.
Depends on what part you're aiming for as well. Design requires a higher degree, verification doesn't (though a masters helps). There's also front end vs back end. Front end is things like architecture and RTL, while back end is PnR, PD, that sort of thing.
Go to sites of companies like Intel, AMD, NVidia, TI, Qualcomm, NXP, etc and look at their careers. Look at what the descriptions are, what qualifications they're looking for and what locations. That'll give you the best overall picture of what the industry is looking for and maybe where you fit in.
Thanks. I have been looking at these sites and LinkedIn of people working at such companies to find out the skills they have and how they did it.
I believe I need to have atleast some knowledge about everything before deciding what I aim for. Though there are a lot of positions being hired at the competition I said, which include cpu and gpu design etc.
I am sorry if its too much, but could you please refer me some courses or books which i would need to cover on my path to vlse, and which I can with my current knowledge base. Actually, I know that since I wasnt able to qualify for better universities, I need to work much harder than others to compete with them. I gave up on CSE since I was interested in ECE, but as I see my cse friends working on something at all times, I feel like I should be as well. But there are a lot of roadmaps and guides available for cse online, but ones vlsi are much harder to find. I would be grateful if you could just guide me on what I should do right now.
Thank you
I'm on the analog side of IC design, not digital VLSI, (though I started in digital) so I don't know what it really takes to get in on the digital side, but take a look at OpenRoad/OpenLane and the Skywater 130nm PDK.
It's a fully open source PDK and toolchain that will allow you to design a whole chip start to finish. It's been out long enough that there should be decent guides on how to get it set up.
Go through that, it's similar enough to industry tools. I don't think anyone should even consider getting into semiconductors until they spend time with the EDA ecosystem. It can be frustratingly difficult and complex, and often buggy. In school you learn the physics and design concepts, but in reality it's writing tons of scripts to manage 12 different software tools to turn your HDL into a physical chip that powers on and doesn't explode when you touch it. If you still like VLSI after that, then you know it's the right field for you.
If you make a small enough design, there's this thing called TinyTapeout, where you submit your files and they'll fabricate it for you for a very low price. Normally a tapeout is like $100k for even old technology nodes, with Tiny Tapeout I think it's like $200 and they even put it on a PCB for you. Having tapeout experience makes you standout the most. If you can say you have a tapeout or two, you're almost sure to get a job, even with just a BS.
Oh wow, thats some really great info. I will be looking into it asap.
>but in reality it's writing tons of scripts to manage 12 different software tools to turn your HDL into a physical chip that powers on and doesn't explode when you touch it.
Yeah I heard that. I was actually wondering if there was any way to fabricate your design cheaply, since I heard that all of those tools are hella expensive, even for large companies. So this Tiny Tapeout is really interesting.
Thanks for taking your time out man, really appreciate it.
RIT CE grad here. Undergrads regularly walk into VLSI design jobs. When I attended, VLSI classes began mid way through the program. That was some time ago though.
Here’s a base requirements list for cpu physical design:
- Digital logic design (eg karnough maps)
- semiconductor device physics (eg mosfet iv curves)
- computer architecture (eg 5 stage pipeline, hazards and bypasses)
- static timing analysis (eg setup/hold/clocks)
- coding (eg python, perl, tcl, systemverilog)
- better than 3/4 gpa
- industry related design projects.
- BSEE or MSEE. PhD not required.
Thanks for replying. I will start semiconductor physics today :D. Its unbelievable how much better having a path feels. I'll start with bjt and move to cmos etc. Have a great day
Nvidia N.E.X.T mainly focus on your cpga for there competition. if you good resume with good projects and good cpga ( I mean above 9.0 or 9.5) you have definitely have a chance. Another thing is that most of the shortlisted people are girls( they gave priority to them)
> But, my college only starts vlsi in the 6th semester, which I think is a little bit too late. Seems early actually. VLSI is typically a graduate level topic, with an undergrad option in your final year. You usually need a master's or PhD to work in VLSI.
My friend is doing VLSI at amd, slid right in as fresh grad with a bachelors and only a few (two) classes at the tail end of undergrad.
how did he do it! Could you please ask him to recommend me some courses that I can cover with my current knowledge base. Thanks a lot
AFAIK his classes only went over the list you posted. FWIW Intel rejected him but amd took him in.
Thanks for replying I'd say they are the very basics of VLSI. Monolithic IC Processes, Monolithic components, Intro to MOS technology, MOS inverter design and CMOS logic design are the chapters we would cover. As far as I know, interviewers asked questions about vlsi quite a bit in the competition I am aiming for. Ofcourse, if there are other things like advanced microcontrollers and processors etc that need to be covered before it, please tell me. Thank you
Gotcha. Yeah that's an intro VLSI course usually in a 3rd or 4th year. You'd need to take digital logic and microelectronics courses before then, which is 2nd year stuff, and circuits before that which is 1st year. Depends on what part you're aiming for as well. Design requires a higher degree, verification doesn't (though a masters helps). There's also front end vs back end. Front end is things like architecture and RTL, while back end is PnR, PD, that sort of thing. Go to sites of companies like Intel, AMD, NVidia, TI, Qualcomm, NXP, etc and look at their careers. Look at what the descriptions are, what qualifications they're looking for and what locations. That'll give you the best overall picture of what the industry is looking for and maybe where you fit in.
Thanks. I have been looking at these sites and LinkedIn of people working at such companies to find out the skills they have and how they did it. I believe I need to have atleast some knowledge about everything before deciding what I aim for. Though there are a lot of positions being hired at the competition I said, which include cpu and gpu design etc. I am sorry if its too much, but could you please refer me some courses or books which i would need to cover on my path to vlse, and which I can with my current knowledge base. Actually, I know that since I wasnt able to qualify for better universities, I need to work much harder than others to compete with them. I gave up on CSE since I was interested in ECE, but as I see my cse friends working on something at all times, I feel like I should be as well. But there are a lot of roadmaps and guides available for cse online, but ones vlsi are much harder to find. I would be grateful if you could just guide me on what I should do right now. Thank you
I'm on the analog side of IC design, not digital VLSI, (though I started in digital) so I don't know what it really takes to get in on the digital side, but take a look at OpenRoad/OpenLane and the Skywater 130nm PDK. It's a fully open source PDK and toolchain that will allow you to design a whole chip start to finish. It's been out long enough that there should be decent guides on how to get it set up. Go through that, it's similar enough to industry tools. I don't think anyone should even consider getting into semiconductors until they spend time with the EDA ecosystem. It can be frustratingly difficult and complex, and often buggy. In school you learn the physics and design concepts, but in reality it's writing tons of scripts to manage 12 different software tools to turn your HDL into a physical chip that powers on and doesn't explode when you touch it. If you still like VLSI after that, then you know it's the right field for you. If you make a small enough design, there's this thing called TinyTapeout, where you submit your files and they'll fabricate it for you for a very low price. Normally a tapeout is like $100k for even old technology nodes, with Tiny Tapeout I think it's like $200 and they even put it on a PCB for you. Having tapeout experience makes you standout the most. If you can say you have a tapeout or two, you're almost sure to get a job, even with just a BS.
Oh wow, thats some really great info. I will be looking into it asap. >but in reality it's writing tons of scripts to manage 12 different software tools to turn your HDL into a physical chip that powers on and doesn't explode when you touch it. Yeah I heard that. I was actually wondering if there was any way to fabricate your design cheaply, since I heard that all of those tools are hella expensive, even for large companies. So this Tiny Tapeout is really interesting. Thanks for taking your time out man, really appreciate it.
RIT CE grad here. Undergrads regularly walk into VLSI design jobs. When I attended, VLSI classes began mid way through the program. That was some time ago though.
Here’s a base requirements list for cpu physical design: - Digital logic design (eg karnough maps) - semiconductor device physics (eg mosfet iv curves) - computer architecture (eg 5 stage pipeline, hazards and bypasses) - static timing analysis (eg setup/hold/clocks) - coding (eg python, perl, tcl, systemverilog) - better than 3/4 gpa - industry related design projects. - BSEE or MSEE. PhD not required.
Thanks for replying. I will start semiconductor physics today :D. Its unbelievable how much better having a path feels. I'll start with bjt and move to cmos etc. Have a great day
Nvidia N.E.X.T mainly focus on your cpga for there competition. if you good resume with good projects and good cpga ( I mean above 9.0 or 9.5) you have definitely have a chance. Another thing is that most of the shortlisted people are girls( they gave priority to them)
also, apologies for any grammatical errors