VLSIdoc

Case Study
for
VLSI Design and Technology
V SEMESTER
ODD SEM (2024-25)
of
B.Tech. (FULL TIME)
in
ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATION
ENGINEERING
SRM INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

RAMAPURAM
OCTOBER 2024
Done by,
Ahamad Mansoor A RA2211004020123
Sengathir D RA2211004020121
Dhanush S RA2211004020082
Aakash Adithya V RA2211004020124
Kalaiselvan D RA2211004020107
Case Study:
Innovative Approaches to Low-Power VLSI Design
Introduction
In recent years, the demand for low-power VLSI designs has significantly
increased due to the proliferation of mobile, wearable, and IoT devices that rely
on battery power. Achieving low power consumption in VLSI circuits has
become essential for extending battery life, reducing heat dissipation, and
improving system reliability. Power consumption in digital circuits is classified
into three primary components: dynamic power, static power, and leakage
power. This case study explores the challenges of designing low-power VLSI
systems and highlights various methods to address these challenges.
Background
VLSI (Very-Large-Scale Integration) involves integrating millions of transistors

onto a single chip. As transistor scaling continues, particularly with sub-10nm
processes, power dissipation becomes a more critical challenge due to increased
leakage currents and reduced reliability. Minimizing power consumption
without sacrificing performance is an ongoing challenge in modern VLSI
design.
Power consumption in a VLSI circuit can be broken down into:
 Dynamic Power: Power consumed during switching activity in logic

gates. It is proportional to the capacitance of the circuit, the square of the
supply voltage, and the frequency of operation.
 Static Power: Power consumed due to leakage currents, primarily in the

off state of transistors. Leakage power becomes increasingly significant
as the device size shrinks.
 Short-Circuit Power: Power consumed during switching when both

PMOS and NMOS transistors conduct simultaneously for a brief period.
Challenges in Low-Power VLSI Design
 Dynamic Power Consumption Dynamic power dissipation occurs due to

the charging and discharging of load capacitances whenever there is a
transition from logic '0' to logic '1' or vice versa. As frequency increases,
the number of transitions per second rises, leading to more power
consumption. Reducing dynamic power requires optimizing switching
activities, clocking schemes, and power gating techniques.
 Leakage Currents and Power As technology nodes shrink below 10nm,

leakage currents (particularly sub-threshold leakage) dominate total
power consumption. Leakage occurs even when transistors are in their
"off" state, resulting in static power consumption. Techniques to reduce
leakage include using high-threshold voltage (high-Vt) transistors in non-
critical paths and adaptive body biasing.
 Process Variations At smaller technology nodes, process variations in

manufacturing can lead to discrepancies in transistor characteristics such
as threshold voltage, gate length, and oxide thickness. These variations
can impact the power-performance balance and increase the likelihood of
leakage and reliability issues.
 Heat Dissipation and Thermal Management As power dissipation

increases, especially in high-performance circuits, managing heat
becomes a critical challenge. Excessive heat can degrade performance,
reliability, and even cause device failure. Effective thermal management
techniques, such as thermal-aware placement and clock gating, are
required to mitigate overheating.
 Design Complexity Low-power design techniques such as multiple

supply voltage domains, power gating, and clock gating increase the
complexity of both the design and verification processes. Ensuring that
these techniques do not compromise functionality, timing, or signal
integrity adds considerable design overhead.
 Sub-threshold Operation Operating circuits in the sub-threshold region

can drastically reduce power consumption, as the transistor operates with
a gate voltage lower than the threshold voltage. However, sub-threshold
operation results in a significant reduction in performance, making it
unsuitable for high-speed applications.
Solutions and Techniques for Low-Power Design
1. Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling (DVFS) DVFS is a widely used

technique to reduce dynamic power consumption by dynamically
adjusting the supply voltage and clock frequency based on the workload.
During periods of low performance demand, both the voltage and
frequency can be scaled down to reduce power consumption.
2. Multi-Vt Design Using transistors with multiple threshold voltages in

different parts of the circuit allows designers to balance performance and
power. High-Vt transistors are used in non-critical paths to reduce
leakage, while low-Vt transistors are used in critical paths to maintain
performance.
3. Clock Gating Clock gating is a technique used to disable the clock signal
to idle portions of the circuit, thereby reducing dynamic power
consumption. By gating the clock, unnecessary switching activities are
eliminated, saving power.
4. Power Gating Power gating is a technique that involves shutting off

power to parts of the circuit that are not in use. This reduces both static
and dynamic power consumption but requires additional circuitry to
manage the power domains.
5. Low-Power Architectures Designing low-power architectures, such as

FinFETs and FD-SOI (Fully Depleted Silicon-On-Insulator), helps
mitigate short-channel effects and reduce leakage currents. These
architectures provide better electrostatic control over the channel,
resulting in improved power efficiency.
6. Use of Low-Power Libraries Foundries now offer low-power standard

cell libraries that are optimized for lower power consumption. These
libraries provide cells with reduced capacitance and optimized transistor
sizing, resulting in lower power dissipation.
7. Thermal-Aware Design Techniques like placing power-hungry

components away from each other, thermal-aware clock gating, and
advanced cooling methods help reduce the overall chip temperature and
improve performance.
Questions and Solutions
What are the primary sources of power dissipation in VLSI circuits?

Answer: The primary sources of power dissipation in VLSI circuits include
dynamic power (due to switching activities), leakage power (due to sub-
threshold leakage and gate leakage), and short-circuit power (due to
simultaneous conduction of PMOS and NMOS transistors during switching).
Explain how Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling (DVFS) reduces

power consumption.
Answer: DVFS reduces power consumption by dynamically adjusting the

supply voltage and clock frequency based on the workload. Lowering the
voltage reduces the dynamic power, which is proportional to the square of the
supply voltage, while reducing the frequency lowers the switching activity,
further reducing power consumption.
What are the challenges of using sub-threshold operation in VLSI design?
Answer: The primary challenge of sub-threshold operation is the significant

reduction in performance, as the circuit operates with a lower gate voltage than
the threshold voltage, which drastically reduces switching speed. Sub-threshold
operation is also more susceptible to process variations, making it difficult to
ensure robust operation.
How does leakage power become a dominant factor in advanced technology

nodes?
Answer: As technology nodes shrink below 10nm, leakage power becomes

dominant due to increased sub-threshold leakage and gate leakage. The smaller
channel lengths result in higher leakage currents even when the transistors are
turned off, significantly contributing to the overall power consumption of the
circuit.
What are the benefits of using FinFET technology in low-power VLSI

designs?
Answer: FinFET technology provides better control over the channel by

utilizing a 3D structure where the gate wraps around the channel. This improves
electrostatic control, reduces short-channel effects, and lowers leakage currents,
making FinFETs highly suitable for low-power designs.
Conclusion
Low-power VLSI design is essential in the modern era of mobile and IoT
devices. Reducing power consumption without compromising performance or
reliability remains a challenging task, especially as technology nodes continue
to shrink. By implementing advanced techniques such as DVFS, multi-Vt
design, clock gating, and low-power architectures, VLSI designers can
effectively tackle these challenges and continue developing power-efficient,
high-performance integrated circuits for future applications.

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Case Study

SRM INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

VLSI (Very-Large-Scale Integration) involves integrating millions of transistors

Power consumption in a VLSI circuit can be broken down into:

 Dynamic Power: Power consumed during switching activity in logic

 Static Power: Power consumed due to leakage currents, primarily in the

 Short-Circuit Power: Power consumed during switching when both

Challenges in Low-Power VLSI Design

 Dynamic Power Consumption Dynamic power dissipation occurs due to

 Leakage Currents and Power As technology nodes shrink below 10nm,

 Process Variations At smaller technology nodes, process variations in

 Heat Dissipation and Thermal Management As power dissipation

 Design Complexity Low-power design techniques such as multiple

 Sub-threshold Operation Operating circuits in the sub-threshold region

Solutions and Techniques for Low-Power Design

1. Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling (DVFS) DVFS is a widely used

2. Multi-Vt Design Using transistors with multiple threshold voltages in

4. Power Gating Power gating is a technique that involves shutting off

5. Low-Power Architectures Designing low-power architectures, such as

6. Use of Low-Power Libraries Foundries now offer low-power standard

7. Thermal-Aware Design Techniques like placing power-hungry

Questions and Solutions

What are the primary sources of power dissipation in VLSI circuits?

Explain how Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling (DVFS) reduces

Answer: DVFS reduces power consumption by dynamically adjusting the

What are the challenges of using sub-threshold operation in VLSI design?

Answer: The primary challenge of sub-threshold operation is the significant

How does leakage power become a dominant factor in advanced technology

Answer: As technology nodes shrink below 10nm, leakage power becomes

What are the benefits of using FinFET technology in low-power VLSI

Answer: FinFET technology provides better control over the channel by

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