CE338 Digital VLSI Design, f2026
Syllabus
Labs: 11:15 am – 2:20 pm, BH570
Lectures: MWF: 12:20 – 1:15 pm, BH570
Dr. Li's office hours: Tuesday 9-11 am and 2:30-3:30 pm; Wednesday & Friday 1:30-3:00 pm.

Weeks	Dates	Lectures	Notes	Homework
Week 1	8/24	Circuit basics review, superposition, SPICE video, notes
	8/26	ADC resolution, the R-2R DAC video, notes	Quiz 1 on circuit basics	HW1, due Friday 9/4
	8/28	Semiconductor Basics, pn junction video, notes	Quiz 2 on superposition and R2R DAC
Week 2	8/31	N-Well resistors and C5 layers video, notes
	9/2	C5 layer examples, MOSFETs notes	Quiz 3 on C5 layers
	9/4	MOSFETs, IV Curves video, notes		HW2 due Friday 9/11
Week 3	9/7	MOSFET, well taps, body effect video, notes
	9/9	NMOS and PMOS pass gates, the transmission gate, and the square law equation video, notes
	9/11	The inverter and the switching point,  video, notes	Quiz 4 on MOSFETs
Week 4	9/14	diode and diode clamping circuit, ESD protection Static Logic Gates, AOI Logic video, notes		HW3, due Friday 9/25
	9/16	More on static logic gates and AOI logic video, notes	Quiz 5 on passing gates/transmission gates, the inverter and the switching point
	9/18	More on Stick diragrams video, notes
Week 5	9/21	No lecture, traveling to a grant meeting
	9/23	No lecture, traveling to a grant meeting
	9/25	Wrap up stick diagram video, notes	Quiz 6 on stick diagrams
Week 6	9/28	Circuit design for a full adder and a subtractor video, notes
	9/30	Design a high speed full adder, introduction to the SAR algorithm video, notes
	10/2	The SAR algorithm and the code register video, notes	Quiz 7 on full adder
Week 7	10/5	SR latch and D flip flops video, notes
	10/7	SR DFF and TI set/reset DFF video, notes	Quiz 8 on SAR diagram
	10/9	SAR ADC sequencer and code register and IC DFF video	Quiz 9 on SR latch
Week 8	10/12	Mini-break, no class
	10/14	Voltage doublers and charge pumps, midterm review video, notes
	10/16	Midterm exam
Week 9	10/19	The sample and hold circuit, more on charge pumps	mid-term grade due
	10/21	More on Dickson's charge pump, sample, track, and hold Circuit video
	10/23	Sample, tranck, and hold circuits video, notes
Week 10	10/26	Digital design models video, notes
	10/28	Cadence Virtuoso 180nm Tutorials 1 - 3	Materials available through Dropbox links (NDA required)
	10/30	Cadence Virtuoso 180nm Tutorials 1 - 3	Materials available through Dropbox links (NDA required)
Week 11	11/2	Class canceled Work on your Cadence tutorials	Materials available through Dropbox links (NDA required)
	11/4	Cadence Tutorials 4A and 4B	Materials available through Dropbox links (NDA required)
	11/6	Cadence Tutorials 4A and 4B	Materials available through Dropbox links (NDA required)
Week 12	11/9	Work on Cadence Tutorials SOC 1 - 8
	11/11	SoC Design in Cadence
	11/13	SoC Design in Cadence
Week 13	11/16	SoC Design in Cadence
	11/18	Out of town, work on SoC design in Cadence
	11/20	Wrap up digital design models
Week 14	11/23	Fall break
	11/25	Fall break
	11/27	Fall break
Week 15	11/31	Final exam overview
	12/2	SoC Design in Cadence
	12/4	SoC Design in Cadence
Week 16	12/7, Monday	Final exam 9:45 - 11:45 am