Glossary
The words used in chip design and in this lab, in plain language.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| RTL | Register-transfer level. A description of a design as registers and the logic between them, written in a language such as SystemVerilog |
| SystemVerilog | The hardware description language the lab uses for designs |
| Module | A block of a design with inputs and outputs. The top one is named top |
| Port | An input or output of a module |
| Flip-flop | A cell that stores one bit and updates on a clock edge |
| Register | A group of flip-flops holding one value |
| Clock | The signal that steps the design forward |
| Reset | The signal that puts the design in a known starting state |
| Testbench | The code that drives a design and checks what it does |
| Simulation | Running the design in software to see how it behaves |
| Waveform | A picture of every signal's value over time |
| cocotb | A framework for writing testbenches in Python |
| Synthesis | Turning RTL into logic gates |
| Netlist | A list of gates and the wires between them |
| Standard cell | A ready-made logic element supplied with the process |
| PDK | Process design kit. The files that describe a manufacturing process to the tools |
| Floorplan | The die's size, its rows, pins and power grid |
| Placement | Giving every cell a position |
| Clock tree | The network of buffers that delivers the clock |
| Routing | Drawing the wires between cells |
| Timing | Whether every signal arrives when it must |
| Setup | The requirement that data arrives early enough before a clock edge |
| Hold | The requirement that data stays steady just after a clock edge |
| Slack | The margin on a timing requirement. Negative slack is a violation |
| Corner | One combination of manufacturing variation, voltage and temperature |
| DRC | Design-rule check. Confirms the layout obeys the process's rules |
| LVS | Layout versus schematic. Confirms the layout matches the netlist |
| GDS | The file format of a finished layout |
| Die | The rectangle of silicon the design occupies |
| Latency | The number of clock cycles from an input to its output |
| Run | One execution of a stage, with its own id |
| Push | Writing a file that Design Chat proposed into your project |
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