VLSI Full Form

What is the full form of VLSI?

VLSI stands for Very Large Scale Integration. It is the process used to create an integrated circuit (IC) by combining millions of Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (MOS) Field transistors on a single chip. VLSI is one of the most popular technologies for designing integrated circuits (ICs), microchip processors, and different components. VLSI started in the 1970s when MOS integrated circuit chips were developed and adopted to enable complex semiconductors and telecommunication technologies.

This Story also Contains

1. What is the full form of VLSI?
2. History and evolution of VLSI
3. Features of VLSI
4. Design flow of VLSI
5. Design process of VLSI
6. Advantages of VLSI
7. Disadvantages of VLSI

In 2012, a microchip with more than a billion transistor gates was initially intended to acquire hundreds of thousands of these transistors. With the advancement in time, the size of microchips decreases, but the capacity to hold so many tiny transistors in it is still a lot. All of these transistors are integrated concisely.

History and evolution of VLSI

• During the 1920s, the evolution of transistors started. It is when several inventors attempted to convert solid-state diodes and triodes by controlling the current.

• The first success came after World War II when silicon and germanium crystals were used as radar detectors, leading to improved fabrication and theory.

• Microelectronics have gone through up to four generations of development which is even shorter than the average human lifespan.

• In the early 1960s, low-density fabrication techniques, known as Small Scale Integration (SSI), were developed with a maximum transistor capacity of 10 roughly.

• In the late 1960s, Medium Scale Integration replaced this when 100 transistors could fit.

• Due to the less burden of military finance during World War Two, the research cost started to fall, and many private companies began competing with each other. Hence, the first integrated circuit revolution was founded on transistor-transistor logic (TTL), which offers high integration densities and lasts longer than older Integrated Circuit families like ECL.

• This family was like a catalyst for the enormous growth of industries like Fairchild, Texas Instruments, and National Semiconductors.

• In the early 1970s, the introduction of Large Scale Integration saw the transistor count increase to one thousand transistors per chip.

• The era of Very Large Scale Integration started in the 1980s, when the number of transistors on one chip surpassed one thousand.

• During that time, power consumption and restriction were levied on the number of gates fitted on a single chip. Thus, TTL became less valuable, and the MOS family revolution started.

• The Intel 4004 and 8080 were the first microprocessors released in 1972 and 1974, respectively, which started something new in the second phase of the ICT revolution.

Features of VLSI

• Earlier, most of the Integrated Circuits had a limited range of functions to perform, which increased after the development of Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI).

• An electrical circuit is usually made up of a CPU, ORM, RAM, and glue logic (it is a unique form of digital circuitry which acts as an interface between different types of logic circuits so that they can work together.

• Due to the development of Very Large Scale Integration, an IC designer can include everything into a single chip.

• We can build many chips and circuits c on a single mini-silicon chip.

• In the 1970s, Complex semiconductor and communication techniques were responsible for creating Very Large Scale Integration.

• Microprocessors are there in VLSI computers.

• All the technologies, which are Small Scale Integration (SSI), Medium Scale Integration (MSI), and Large Scale Integration (LSI), are replaced by Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI).

Design flow of VLSI

The design Flow process of Very Large Integration System (VLSI) circuits has a numbering system for different levels of design, and the blocks represent the different design flow stages.

• At the start of the design flow, the specifications for digital IC circuits will be created. These specifications provide a conceptual description of the circuit's architecture, functionality, and interface.

• Now, there is a construction of a behavioral description of the circuit so that the design can be examined in terms of performance, functioning added with predetermined standards, and other essential requirements.

• Hardware Description Languages (HDLs) describe Register Transfer Level (RTL). To test functionality, the description of RTL is mimicked. Electronic Drive Automation (EDA) tools are required to move further.

• Now, the Register Transfer Level (RTL) description is transformed into a gate-level netlist ( a description of the connectivity of an electronic circuit). Gate-level netlist represents a circuit in terms of the gates and the connections between them.

• The process of VLSI design is completed after the creation of a physics layout which is verified before sending it to manufacture

Design process of VLSI

The design of VLSI Integrated circuits consists of two main stages. These are as follows:

• Front-End Design: A Digital design that utilizes a hardware description language such as Verilog, System Verilog, and VHDL is known as Front-End Design. It also includes the verification of the design through simulation. Gate designing and testability are also a part of this process.

• Back-End Design: Back-End Design includes the characterization and Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductors (CMOS) library design. It also contains the physical layout and simulation of faults.

Advantages of VLSI

VLSI is one of the most successful technologies ever created. So, it has a lot of advantages. Some of them are as follows:

• The VLSI circuits are smaller in size as compared to SSI, MSI, and LSI.

• It has very reliable hardware.

• It requires less space which encourages tiny circuit-making using modern technology.

• It has very high efficiency.

• It is very economical in production.

• The power consumption is significantly less during operation.

Disadvantages of VLSI

• Recognizing that water, soft materials are very little objects.
• Color recognition
• A person may become irritated and confused when they hear a beep.

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