EEE3027 : Integrated Circuit Design and Embedded System
- Offered for Year: 2024/25
- Module Leader(s): Professor Rishad Shafik
- Lecturer: Dr Fei Xia
- Owning School: Engineering
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 10 |
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 10 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
1. Integrated circuits design methods using VHDL/Verilog and design automation tools
2. Low-power integrated circuits design for modern applications such as machine learning or signal processing
3. Embedded systems architectures and concurrent behaviour in embedded systems
4. Hardware/software design and modelling of embedded computing systems.
Outline Of Syllabus
Section 1 : Integrated Circuits Design
Design review of combinational and sequential circuit designs. ASIC and FPGA based digital systems designs. Digital systems design and synthesis: register-transfer level design, system-level design. All aspects will be based on VHDL or Verilog based design automation tools.
Section 2 : Methods of IC Design
Introduction to analogue and mixed signal IC design; Low-power digital IC design and synthesis methods. Considerations for high speed systems, metastability and clock distribution. Introduction to Design for Test and Testbench design methods. All aspects will be based on VHDL or Verilog based design automation tools.
Section 3 : Introduction to Embedded Systems and Processes
Definitions, design metrics and marketing issues of embedded computing systems. Real-time behaviour and concurrency modelling, FSM, Petri nets, Reachability Graphs. Software implementation of FSM. Concurrent processes and data communication between them. Concurrent threads, data communication between threads, critical sections, properties. Practicals designed using C/C++ mostly.
Section 4: Embedded Systems Architectures and Applications
Asynchronous Communication Mechanisms, properties, taxonomy, modelling, implementation. Real-Time scheduling and schedulers. Optimality theorems. Design of a simple Timeline scheduler. Programming with short periodic tasks. Synchronisation problem in interfacing the real-time systems to the environment. Embedded systems in the IoT domain.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 10 | 2:00 | 20:00 | IC Design Theory |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 23:00 | 23:00 | IC Design Project (only Summative Project) |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 30 | 1:00 | 30:00 | Revision for final exam |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 10 | 2:00 | 20:00 | Embedded Systems Theory |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 3:00 | 3:00 | Final exam |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 4 | 2:00 | 8:00 | Preparatory lectures for IC Design and Embedded Systems Assessments |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 40:00 | 40:00 | Embedded Systems Project |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Practical | 10 | 2:00 | 20:00 | IC Design using Computing Lab |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Practical | 10 | 2:00 | 20:00 | Embedded Systems Practical |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 8 | 2:00 | 16:00 | IC Design Practical |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Underlying theory and its application in practice is taught in the lectures. This is, however a predominantly practical subject (e.g. IC design using design automation tools and languages or Embedded Systems software projects) and the substantial laboratory-based component reflects this. The latter requires a considerable amount of quiet reflection and preparation, time for which is allocated under independent study.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Exams
| Description | Length | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written Examination | 180 | 2 | A | 50 | 50% of the exam will be from Embedded Systems and 50% content will be from IC Design theory |
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practical/lab report | 2 | M | 25 | IC Design with design, synthesis and energy/performance charcacterisation. |
| Computer assessment | 1 | M | 25 | Embedded systems coding project with real-time scheduling |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
This is a practical engineering-driven discipline which combines the real-time embedded systems specific and IC design with general knowledge of hardware and software programming and co-design. Therefore, the module combines the theory taught in lectures with applied study carried out as computer practicals and private self-directed learning. The essential design skills, which include analysis, synthesis, implementation and individual project management are exercised in practicals. Support from a qualified demonstrator staff is an important aspect of skill transfer. All levels of Bloom’s taxonomy are included.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- EEE3027's Timetable