Hardware description languages (HDL) such as VHDL and Verilog have found their way into almost every aspect of the design of digital hardware systems. Since their inception they gradually proved to be an essential part of modern design methodologies and design automation tools, ever exceeding their original goals of being description and simulation languages. Their use for automatic synthesis, formal proof, and testing are good examples. So far, HDLs have been mainly dealing with digital systems. However, integrated systems designed today require more and more analog parts such as A/D and D/A converters, phase locked loops, current mirrors, etc. The verification of the complete system therefore asks for the use of a single language. Using VHDL or Verilog to handle analog descriptions is possible, as it is shown in this book, but the real power is coming from true mixed-signal HDLs that integrate discrete and continuous semantics into a unified framework. Analog HDLs (AHDL) are considered here a subset of mixed-signal HDLs as they intend to provide the same level of features as HDLs do but with a scope limited to analog systems, possibly with limited support of discrete semantics. Analog and Mixed-Signal Hardware Description Languages covers several aspects related to analog and mixed-signal hardware description languages including: The use of a digital HDL for the description and the simulation of analog systems The emergence of extensions of existing standard HDLs that provide true analog and mixed-signal HDLs. The use of analog and mixed-signal HDLs for the development of behavioral models of analog (electronic) building blocks (operational amplifier, PLL) and for the design of microsystems that do not only involve electronic parts. The use of a front-end tool that eases the description task with the help of a graphical paradigm, yet generating AHDL descriptions automatically. Analog and Mixed-Signal Hardware Description Languages is the first book to show how to use these new hardware description languages in the design of electronic components and systems. It is necessary reading for researchers and designers working in electronic design.

Analog Behavioral Modeling With The Verilog-A Language provides the IC designer with an introduction to the methodologies and uses of analog behavioral modeling with the Verilog-A language. In doing so, an overview of Verilog-A language constructs as well as applications using the language are presented. In addition, the book is accompanied by the Verilog-A Explorer IDE (Integrated Development Environment), a limited capability Verilog-A enhanced SPICE simulator for further learning and experimentation with the Verilog-A language. This book assumes a basic level of understanding of the usage of SPICE-based analog simulation and the Verilog HDL language, although any programming language background and a little determination should suffice. From the Foreword: `Verilog-A is a new hardware design language (HDL) for analog circuit and systems design. Since the mid-eighties, Verilog HDL has been used extensively in the design and verification of digital systems. However, there have been no analogous high-level languages available for analog and mixed-signal circuits and systems. Verilog-A provides a new dimension of design and simulation capability for analog electronic systems. Previously, analog simulation has been based upon the SPICE circuit simulator or some derivative of it. Digital simulation is primarily performed with a hardware description language such as Verilog, which is popular since it is easy to learn and use. Making Verilog more worthwhile is the fact that several tools exist in the industry that complement and extend Verilog's capabilities ... Behavioral Modeling With the Verilog-A Language provides a good introduction and starting place for students and practicing engineers with interest in understanding this new level of simulation technology. This book contains numerous examples that enhance the text material and provide a helpful learning tool for the reader. The text and the simulation program included can be used for individual study or in a classroom environment ...' Dr. Thomas A. DeMassa, Professor of Engineering, Arizona State University

The Verilog Hardware Description Language (Verilog-HDL) has long been the most popular language for describing complex digital hardware. It started life as a prop- etary language but was donated by Cadence Design Systems to the design community to serve as the basis of an open standard. That standard was formalized in 1995 by the IEEE in standard 1364-1995. About that same time a group named Analog Verilog International formed with the intent of proposing extensions to Verilog to support analog and mixed-signal simulation. The first fruits of the labor of that group became available in 1996 when the language definition of Verilog-A was released. Verilog-A was not intended to work directly with Verilog-HDL. Rather it was a language with Similar syntax and related semantics that was intended to model analog systems and be compatible with SPICE-class circuit simulation engines. The first implementation of Verilog-A soon followed: a version from Cadence that ran on their Spectre circuit simulator. As more implementations of Verilog-A became available, the group defining the a- log and mixed-signal extensions to Verilog continued their work, releasing the defi- tion of Verilog-AMS in 2000. Verilog-AMS combines both Verilog-HDL and Verilog-A, and adds additional mixed-signal constructs, providing a hardware description language suitable for analog, digital, and mixed-signal systems. Again, Cadence was first to release an implementation of this new language, in a product named AMS Designer that combines their Verilog and Spectre simulation engines.

All the design and development inspiration and direction an electronics engineer needs in one blockbuster book! John Donovan, Editor-in Chief, Portable Design has selected the very best electronic design material from the Newnes portfolio and has compiled it into this volume. The result is a book covering the gamut of electronic design from design fundamentals to low-power approaches with a strong pragmatic emphasis. In addition to specific design techniques and practices, this book also discusses various approaches to solving electronic design problems and how to successfully apply theory to actual design tasks. The material has been selected for its timelessness as well as for its relevance to contemporary electronic design issues. Contents:Chapter 1 System Resource Partitioning and Code OptimizationChapter 2 Low Power Design Techniques, Design Methodology, and ToolsChapter 3 System-Level Approach to Energy ConservationChapter 4 Radio Communication BasicsChapter 5 Applications and TechnologiesChapter 6 RF Design ToolsChapter 7 On Memory Systems and Their DesignChapter 8 Storage in Mobile Consumer Electronics DevicesChapter 9 Analog Low-Pass FiltersChapter 10 Class A AmplifiersChapter 11 MPEG-4 and H.264Chapter 12 Liquid Crystal Displays - Hand-picked content selected by John Donovan, Editor-in Chief, Portable Design - Proven best design practices for low-power, storage, and streamlined development - Case histories and design examples get you off and running on your current project

The demand is exploding for complete, integrated systems that sense, process, manipulate, and control complex entities such as sound, images, text, motion, and environmental conditions. These systems, from hand-held devices to automotive sub-systems to aerospace vehicles, employ electronics to manage and adapt to a world that is, predominantly, neither digital nor electronic. To respond to this design challenge, the industry has developed and standardized VHDL-AMS, a unified design language for modeling digital, analog, mixed-signal, and mixed-technology systems. VHDL-AMS extends VHDL to bring the successful HDL modeling methodology of digital electronic systems design to these new design disciplines.Gregory Peterson and Darrell Teegarden join best-selling author Peter Ashenden in teaching designers how to use VHDL-AMS to model these complex systems. This comprehensive tutorial and reference provides detailed descriptions of both the syntax and semantics of the language and of successful modeling techniques. It assumes no previous knowledge of VHDL, but instead teaches VHDL and VHDL-AMS in an integrated fashion, just as it would be used by designers of these complex, integrated systems. - Explores the design of an electric-powered, unmanned aerial vehicle system (UAV) in five separate case studies to illustrate mixed-signal, mixed-technology, power systems, communication systems, and full system modeling.

Hardware description languages (HDL) such as VHDL and Verilog have found their way into almost every aspect of the design of digital hardware systems. Since their inception they gradually proved to be an essential part of modern design methodologies and design automation tools, ever exceeding their original goals of being description and simulation languages. Their use for automatic synthesis, formal proof, and testing are good examples. So far, HDLs have been mainly dealing with digital systems. However, integrated systems designed today require more and more analog parts such as A/D and D/A converters, phase locked loops, current mirrors, etc. The verification of the complete system therefore asks for the use of a single language. Using VHDL or Verilog to handle analog descriptions is possible, as it is shown in this book, but the real power is coming from true mixed-signal HDLs that integrate discrete and continuous semantics into a unified framework. Analog HDLs (AHDL) are considered here a subset of mixed-signal HDLs as they intend to provide the same level of features as HDLs do but with a scope limited to analog systems, possibly with limited support of discrete semantics. Analog and Mixed-Signal Hardware Description Languages covers several aspects related to analog and mixed-signal hardware description languages including: The use of a digital HDL for the description and the simulation of analog systems The emergence of extensions of existing standard HDLs that provide true analog and mixed-signal HDLs. The use of analog and mixed-signal HDLs for the development of behavioral models of analog (electronic) building blocks (operational amplifier, PLL) and for the design of microsystems that do not only involve electronic parts. The use of a front-end tool that eases the description task with the help of a graphical paradigm, yet generating AHDL descriptions automatically. Analog and Mixed-Signal Hardware Description Languages is the first book to show how to use these new hardware description languages in the design of electronic components and systems. It is necessary reading for researchers and designers working in electronic design.

In this fourth book in the CHDL Series, a selection of the best papers presented in FDL'02 is published. System Specification and Design Languages contains outstanding research contributions in the four areas mentioned above. So, The Analog and Mixed-Signal system design contributions cover the new methodological approaches like AMS behavioral specification, mixed-signal modeling and simulation, AMS reuse and MEMs design using the new modeling languages such as VHDL-AMS, Verilog-AMS, Modelica and analog-mixed signal extensions to SystemC. UML is the de-facto standard for SW development covering the early development stages of requirement analysis and system specification. The UML-based system specification and design contributions address latest results on hot-topic areas such as system profiling, performance analysis and UML application to complex, HW/SW embedded systems and SoC design.C/C++-for HW/SW systems design is entering standard industrial design flows. Selected papers cover system modeling, system verification and SW generation. The papers from the Specification Formalisms for Proven design workshop present formal methods for system modeling and design, semantic integrity and formal languages such as ALPHA, HANDLE and B.