1. Microprocessor Design Process
Dr. Mongkol Ekpanyapong

2. Inside a computer

3. A Typical PC Motherboard (D975XBX)

4. A Typical PC System Architecture

5. What’s the culprit in computer performance?
First transistor
Bell Labs, 1948
Intel 22nm transistor 2006

6. Device Feature Size
Feature size reductions enabled by process innovations.
Smaller features lead to more transistors per unit area and therefore higher density.

7. Microprocessor performance
40% performance increases when new generation of transistor is introduced

8. Transistor speed
Shorter transistor length, faster switching speed

9. CPU clock speed Name Date #trans Length Clock Width 8086 1974 6k 6 um
2MHz
8 bits
8088
1979
23k
3 um
5MHz
16 bits
80286
1982
134k
1.5 um
6MHz
80386
1985
275k
16MHz
32 bits
80486
1989
1.2 M
1 um
25MHz
Pentium
1993
3.1 M
0.8 um
60 MHz
PentiumII
1997
7.5 M
0.35
233MHz
Pentium III
1999
9.5 M
0.25
450MHz
Pentium4
2000
42 M
0.18
1.5 GHz
Prescott
2004
125 M
0.09
3.6 GHz

10. Rapid Increase in Density of Memory
Memory chip density versus time.

11. Prescott architecture
Single core
Long pipeline (31 stages)
The higher pipeline depth, the faster clock speed
Processor speed 3.8 GHz
Cache 512 kB
3 Arithmetic Logical Units (ALUs)
32 bit architecture

12. Core 2 definition Core 2 solo: only 1 processor in your PC
Core 2 duo: 2 processors in your PC
Core 2 quad: 4 processors in your PC
Core 2 is the name of the architecture likes
8086, Pentium, Pentium4

13. How long does it take to design a microprocessor?

14. Intel roadmap

15. Merom die

16. Core 2 architecture

17. Penryn die

19. Nehalem die

20. Nehalem Core

21. Westmere die

24. Sandy Bridge

25. Batman : arkham asylum

26. Batman : performance

27. Microarchitecture Design
VLSI Design Flow
Architecture Design
Microarchitecture Design
Logic Design
Circuit Design
Physical Design
Fabrication
Packaging and Testing

28. Management team + Financial team + Architect
Product planning
Product roadmap
Product schedule
Product cost
Performance/Power/Area tradeoff
Management team + Financial team + Architect

29. Architecture/Microarchitecture design
Architecture: (visible to external world)
Architecture selection
Intellectual Properties (IP) based design
Instruction set
Microarchitecture: (functional units)
Product features
Performance and power study
Performance/Power/Area study
Architect + Logic designer

30. Architect + Logic designer + Circuit designer
Register transfer level (RTL) using Hardware Description Language (HDL)
Architect + Logic designer + Circuit designer

31. Functional unit block design

32. Logic Synthesis

33. Circuit design Timing optimization Power optimization
Logic designer + Circuit designer +
Mask designer/Design automation Engineer

34. Timing tools

35. Clock gating and power compiler

36. Layout design Area compaction Routability & congestion
Circuit designer + Mask designer /
Design automation Engineer

37. Layout simulation

38. VLSI routing

39. Thermal map

40. Manufacturing Fabrication process Process Engineer Oxidation
Photolithography and Etching
Diffusion and implantation
Metallization
Process Engineer

41. Czochralski process

42. Silicon Ingot

43. Silicon wafer before processing

44. Final Silicon wafer

45. Packaging Package Engineer
Signal and power connections between the chip and a circuit board
Remove heat produced from the chip
Protects from mechanical and thermal damage
Cost saving
Package Engineer

46. Wafer/Die

47. Structure of CMOS chip + packaging

48. Validation/Debugging and testing
From logic design till silicon debugs
Pre-silicon testing:
Design for testability
Test input vector
Formal verification
Post-silicon testing:
Stress testing -Electrical testing
Platform testing -Burn-in self test
Speed path testing

49. Design rule check

50. Design flow

51. Design Team Roles Architect - define microarchitecture
Logic designer – convert microarchitecture to RTL
Circuit designer – convert RTL to transistor level
Mask designer – convert circuit design to layout
Validation engineer – verify logic/circuit correctness
Design automation engineer –create/support design CAD tools

52. System design

53. Design Automation

54. Questions?