International Research Experiences for Students (IRES): Development of Global Scientists by Research Collaborations on Process Variation Characterization and Design Methodology

OISE-0926278亚利桑那大学(王，珍妮特？艾瑞斯：全球科学家在过程变化表征和设计方法学方面的研究合作的发展？)摘要该奖项由《2009年美国复苏和再投资法案》(公共法律第111-5条)资助。该奖项支持皮？S混合信号纳米超大规模集成电路设计实验室的美国研究生和本科生参与工艺变化影响下集成电路(IC)的特征和设计方法的合作。随着电路设计技术进入纳米设计领域，器件的可变性往往会失控。目前对自适应设计和统计分析工具的研究大多强调所制造的芯片符合原始设计规范。有几个棘手的问题阻碍了可变性的减少。例如，我们如何对可变性进行建模？我们如何量化它？我们如何管理由不可减少的复杂性引起的可变性？我们有没有可能利用可变性，而不是仅仅控制它？拟议的联合研究旨在提供新的方法来克服这些具有挑战性的障碍。该小组将与台湾大学电机系陈志平教授、香港城市大学电子工程系混沌与复杂网络研究中心(CCCN)陈冠荣教授及唐建生教授合作。在接下来的三年里，该奖项每年夏天资助四名美国学生--两名本科生和两名研究生--进行拟议中的联合研究。国立台湾大学独特的、开放的工艺数据来源提供了第一手数据，以支持面向制造的设计的建模和表征研究。香港城市大学的设施提供了一个难得的机会，可以将美国、台湾和香港的科学家的专业知识结合在一个协同项目中，以阐明工艺变化机制的性质，并开发利用这些变化的设计方法。在第一年，学生将利用统计性能的概念来模拟器件和闸门。新提出的模型将与国立台湾大学合作，在45纳米工艺数据上进行测试。预期的实验室任务包括测量性能分布和环境对IC设计的影响。实验测量数据可以采用几种不同的统计模型，包括香港城市大学提出的有限点模型。在第二年，学生将研究采用面向性能的参数差异减少和提供性能界限估计的新策略。他们将测试提出的模型的能力，以表征和验证不同类型的混合信号电路。在第三年，学生将把上述研究内容整合到一个新的设计流程中。香港城市大学提出的高度非线性电路将提供一个原型电路。学生将使用新的流程重新设计电路，测量和测试电路性能，并验证设计质量。该项目将增加对工艺变化的统计性质、对电路性能的影响以及它们在智能设计算法后恢复的潜力的理解。在这个项目中，学生将提出科学假设，设计个人研究项目，并以口头和书面形式分析和展示他们的结果。他们将在一个独特的环境中接触到实验室和实地研究技术。即将开展的联合研究的发现还将为课程的发展提供信息，并填补目前教科书将过程变化和混乱建模作为一门学术学科所涵盖的空白。

OISE-0926278 University of Arizona (Wang, Janet, ?IRES: Development of Global Scientists by Research Collaborations on Process Variation Characterization and Design Methodology?)Abstract This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). The award supports participation of U.S. graduate and undergraduate students from the PI?s Mixed-Signal Nanometer VLSI Design Lab in a collaboration on the characterizations and design methodologies for integrated circuit (IC) under process variation impact. Device variability tends to spiral out of control as circuit design technology enters the nanometer design regime. Most current research on adaptive design and statistical analysis tools emphasizes that the manufactured chips match the original design specifications. Several tough issues prevent the diminution of variability. For example, how do we model the variability? How do we quantify it? How do we manage the variability that stems from irreducible complexity? Is it possible for us to make use of the variability instead of just controlling it? The proposed joint research intends to provide novel approaches to overcome these challenging obstacles. The PI and her students will collaborate with Prof. Charlie C.P. Chen from Department of Electrical Engineering, National Taiwan University, and Prof. Guanrong Chen and Prof. Wallace K.S. Tang, both at the Centre for Chaos and Complex Networks (CCCN), Department of Electronic Engineering, City University of Hong Kong. The award support four U.S. students?two undergraduates and two graduate students?each summer over the next three years to conduct the proposed joint research. The unique, open sources on process data at National Taiwan University offers first hand data to support research on the modeling and characterization of design for manufacture. The facilities of City University of Hong Kong provide an exceptional opportunity to combine the expertise of U.S, Taiwan and Hong Kong scientists in a synergistic program to elucidate the property of process variation mechanism and develop design methodologies to utilize the variability.In the first year students will exploit the idea of statistical performance to model device and gates. The newly proposed models are to be tested on 45 nm process data in cooperation with the National Taiwan University. Expected laboratory tasks include the measurements of the performance distribution and of environmental influences on IC design. Several different statistical models including the finite point model formulated at The City University of Hong Kong may be applied to the experimental measurement data. During the second year, students will investigate new strategies that employ performance oriented parameter variation reduction and provide performance bound estimation. They will test the ability of the proposed models to characterize and verify different types of mixed-signal circuits. In the third year, students are expected to integrate the above research components into a new design flow. A highly nonlinear circuit proposed by The City University of Hong Kong will provide a prototype circuit. Students will redesign the circuit using the new flow, measure and test the circuit performance, and verify the quality of design.The project will increase understanding of the statistical nature of processvariations, the impact on circuit performance, and their potential for recovery following an intelligent design algorithm. In this program, students will develop scientific hypotheses, design individual research projects, and analyze and present their results orally and in written form. They will be exposed to laboratory and field research techniques in a unique environment. The discoveries from the joint research to be undertaken will also inform the development of curriculum and fill a gap in current textbook coverage of process variation and chaotic modeling as a scholarly discipline.