IC Design
Integro Silicon’s IC design services are built on over 15 years of experience in digital system design, system-on-chip integration, and verification. Our expertise spans designing specialized digital blocks with stringent power, timing, and area constraints. We utilize industry-standard tools such as Synopsys, Cadence, and Mentor to deliver reliable, first-time working silicon with a minimized number of design iterations.
Turn-Key Solutions
Service Offerings
Design Flow & Methodology
Manufacturing & Simulation
Turn-Key Solutions
- End-to-End Design:
- From initial specifications to chip layout.
- Comprehensive chip-level integration covering processors, hardware accelerators, signal processing engines, encryption engines, and third-party IPs.
- Competitive Advantages:
- A skillful and agile team.
- Silicon-proven IP cores and a ready-to-go design setup.
- Lower operational risk, reduced OPEX, and low engineering costs.
- 15+ years of successful IC design experience across different process technologies.
Service Offerings
Complete RTL-GDS Flow:
- HDL Design and Verification
- Frontend Synthesis
- Backend Flow: Layout generation, extraction, timing analysis, power estimation, and final integration
- Formal Verification
Collaborative and Complementary Services:
- Coordination with our analog/RF team on mixed designs.
- Embedded software development (supporting Bare-metal/Linux environments).
- Hands-on ARM architecture design including Processor, AXI/AMBA, and slave design and verification.
- Expertise in FPGA design for platforms such as Zynq, Kintex, and Ultrascale.
- Hardware accelerator development.
Design Flow & Methodology
Concept & Feasibility:
- Feasibility study, high-level block diagram, and cycle-accurate modeling (Matlab flow).
Development & Verification:
- HDL coding and functional simulation.
- System integration with FPGA synthesis, place & route, and emulation for digital components.
- Logic verification using UVM with extensive testbenches for system-level verification.
- Constraint development, ASIC synthesis, DFT insertion, ATPG, and static timing analysis & closure.
- Logic equivalency checking, analog/RF integration, design rule check, total LVS (Digital+Analog/RF), and final GDS sign-off.
- Post-fabrication activities.
Package & Test:
- Test board PCB design, PCB assembly (chip plus peripherals), load testbenches, and physical/environment tests (evaluating power, speed, temperature, etc.).
Manufacturing & Simulation
Fabless Manufacturing:
We follow a fabless model, partnering with reputable foundries to access advanced chip fabrication technologies for both digital and mixed-signal processes.Specification & Simulation:
We help define precise system requirements for ASIC designs and use specialized EDA tool simulations to accurately predict chip performance and efficiency, ensuring a smooth transition from design concept to final layout.
FPGA Design
Our FPGA design services are an essential component of any digital ASIC flow, addressing the high cost and extended delivery times associated with manufacturing. By integrating FPGA emulation, we not only shorten time-to-market for first working silicon but also maintain an open path for later conversion to an ASIC flow.
Expertise and Capabilities
Custom FPGA Board
Benefits
Expertise and Capabilities
Design & Development:
- Feasibility studies and architecture development.
- HDL implementation optimized for the unique resources and limitations of FPGA platforms.
- Comprehensive system integration and design optimization.
Embedded & System Software:
- Embedded software development for SoCs featuring both soft and hard processor cores.
- Specialized design on the Xilinx Zynq platform (supporting both Linux-based and bare-metal environments).
- Tailoring HDL components for ARM processors via the AXI bus within Zynq platforms.
- High-level synthesis enabling fast implementation of C-based algorithms.
Testing & Verification:
- Complete system testing including testbench development, RTL verification, and post-synthesis simulation.
Custom FPGA Board
When standard development platforms do not meet specific design requirements or cost constraints, our custom FPGA board solutions offer a tailored approach:
- Development Platform Specifications:
- Base FPGA: Xilinx Virtex-II Pro XC2VP20/30/40/50-FF1152
- High-Speed Serial Communication:
- Two Rocket I/O connectors, one SATA host interface, and two SMA high-speed connectors.
- Memory & Storage:
- Up to 256MB DDR SDRAM
- 2MB 32-bit 167MHz Synchronous SRAM
- Up to 32MB Flash Memory
- Connectivity:
- Four Fast Ethernet ports and one Gigabit Ethernet port
- RS-232 serial port
- Smart Card receptacle
- PCMCIA PC-Card reader
- One channel of E1 Line interface
- Two high-speed USB host controllers and one high-speed OTG (Dual-Role) controller
- Interfaces & Debugging:
- 8/16-bit HPI/SPI DSP interface
- Two 120-pin general purpose I/O expansion connectors
- DIP switches, test LEDs, text LCD interface, and dedicated test points for debugging
Benefits
- Accelerated Time-to-Market: FPGA implementation reduces risk and accelerates market entry by enabling early working silicon.
- Flexibility for Future ASIC Conversion: The design can be easily adapted from FPGA to ASIC, keeping long-term product strategies open.
- Cost-Effective Development: Our experience and custom board solutions help minimize development costs without compromising on performance or quality.
Embedded System & OS
Our Embedded System & OS services offer robust solutions tailored for both embedded devices and larger computing platforms. Leveraging extensive expertise in U-Boot, Linux, PetaLinux, Kernel Driver development, low-level OS programming, EFI, UEFI, and BIOS, we deliver seamless integration and optimized performance across platforms including Zynq, X86, and AMD64.
Service Offerings
Design Flow & Methodology
Benefits
Service Offerings
Bootloader & OS Integration:
- Customized bootloaders such as U-Boot.
- Integration of EFI, UEFI, and BIOS systems.
Operating System & Kernel Development:
- Tailored Linux distributions and PetaLinux environments for embedded systems.
- Kernel driver development and low-level OS programming to maximize performance.
Platform Expertise:
- Proven experience with Zynq-based SoCs, as well as X86 and AMD64 architectures.
System Optimization & Testing:
- Comprehensive system testing and validation.
- Performance tuning for power efficiency, speed, and reliability.
Design Flow & Methodology
- Requirement Analysis: Define detailed system requirements and design specifications.
- Development & Customization: Develop and adapt bootloaders, OS components, and kernel drivers to meet precise hardware and performance targets.
- Verification & Testing: Conduct rigorous testing at both system and module levels.
- Integration & Support: Ensure smooth hardware-software integration and provide ongoing post-deployment support.
Benefits
- Seamless Integration: Achieve cohesive performance by bridging hardware and software.
- Cost-Effective Development: Streamlined processes reduce development time and operating costs.
- Scalable Solutions: Flexible designs that adapt to evolving technology requirements.
Integro Silicon-Proven & FPGA IP Cores
| IP core name | Description |
|---|---|
| Digital | |
| RSA (512-1024-2048 bit) engine | Security engine (for asymmetric cryptography) |
| AES 128/256 engine | Security engine (for symmetric cryptography) |
| FST (Fast Search Table) | Hardware search table for IP lookup |
| UART | Serial interface |
| Ethernet MAC 802.3 (10/100) | LAN networking |
| Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) | Serial interface |
| GPIO (Configurable) | Parallel low-speed interface |
| USB type 1.1 | Up to 12Mbps speed |
| Embedded Flash Controller | Designed for embedded NOR flash blocks |
| Memory Protection Unit | out of region memory access protection |
| Vectored Interrupt Controller | For use with multiple hardware interrupt sources |
| EBI (External Bus Interface) | Connects internal bus to external RAM/ROM/LCD… |
| Analog | |
| TRNG | True Random Number Generator |
| 5v-3.3v-1.8v Regulator | Internal voltage convertor |
| Power on Reset | Internal reset generation |
| Brown-out detection | Monitoring power state |
| Phase Lock Loop (PLL) | Frequency multiplication |