Academic Resources

Fundamentals of Digital Implementation

Use this education kit to teach the fundamentals of digital implementation using the full Cadence digital flow, from RTL to GDSII. This set of 18 modules with lecture slides and lab exercises (in select modules) is ready for use in a typical semester.

All software tools required for the practical part are available through the Cadence University Program.

Digital Verification Methodologies

Use this education kit to teach the different technologies and methodologies for verification and to work on practical exercises verifying designs.

This set of 11 modules with lecture slides and lab exercises, plus videos, is ready for use in a typical semester.

All software tools required for the practical part are available through the Cadence University Program. In order to become a member of the Cadence University Program, please write to universityprogram@cadence.com for assistance.

Organic Printed Electronics PDK to Design Circuits

Use this education kit to teach how to use organic printed electronics process design kit (OPDK) to design circuits for integrated sensor platforms using Cadence^® Virtuoso^® technology. This set of three modules with lecture slides and lab exercises (in selected modules) is ready for use in a typical one- to-two-week seminar or a full-day workshop.

This Education Kit has been created in collaboration with BASF, Karlsruhe University of Technology, InnovationLabs, and the University of Heidelberg for the 2Horizons project, funded by the German Ministry of Education. All the software tools required for the practical part are available through the Cadence^® University Program.

A Shift-Left Methodology for the Development of Hardware Accelerators in Compute-Intense Edge Applications

Use this education kit to teach how to use a shift-left methodology to develop hardware accelerator in compute-intense edge applications. This set of six modules with lecture slides and lab exercises (in selected modules) is ready for use in a typical one-to-two-week seminar or a full-day workshop.

All software tools required for the practical part are available through the Cadence University Program. All software tools required for the practical part are available through the Cadence Tensilica University Program. In order to become a member of the Tensilica University Program, please write to universityprogram@cadence.com for assistance.

VLSI Fundamentals: A Practical Approach Education Kit

The Arm^® University Program has developed a suite of education kits comprising a full set of materials including lecture slides and lab manuals with solutions. Take advantage of these resources that cover a range of core subjects relevant to electrical, electronic, and computer engineering, computer science, and beyond!

Teach the fundamentals of very large-scale integration (VLSI), including how the theories and concepts can be applied in the design of simple logic circuits and in the physical implementation of a simplified microprocessor.

This education kit has been created in collaboration with Arm. All software tools required for the practical part are available through the Cadence® University Program.

Tensilica Education Kit

Use this education kit to teach the fundamentals of application-specific standard products (ASSPs) on an example of Cadence Tensilica^® Processor IP, including how a microprocessor can be extended through optimized commands.

This set of five modules with lecture slides, demos, and lab exercises (in selected modules) is ready for use in a typical one- to two-week seminar or a full-day workshop.

All software tools required for the practical part are available through the Cadence Tensilica University Program. In order to become a member of the Tensilica University Program, please write to universityprogram@cadence.com for assistance.

Arm Performance Cookbook

Understanding and Optimizing the Hardware Performance of Arm Compute Subsystems

Check out the first chapter of a new book that will become an essential resource for semiconductor designers, engineers, and developers to gain practical insights and techniques for optimizing system performance for Arm-based designs. Written by experts from Arm and Cadence, this book will be a valuable tool for anyone seeking to unlock the full potential of Arm-based systems. Download Chapter One for free!

Key Objectives

• Memory hierarchy
• Cache optimization
• System-level performance analysis
• Maximizing compute performance of Arm-based designs

The Third Edition of Microwave and RF Design (A Multi-Volume Set) eBook

The Third Edition of Microwave and RF Design (A Multi-Volume Set), authored by Professor Michael Steer of North Carolina State University, is a comprehensive free OpenAccess electronic textbook focusing on RF systems design. It is intended for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, as well as professionals. The textbook covers microwave components and how they fit into modern radio, radar, and sensor systems. It enables the student to achieve a good understanding of how system-level decisions affect component and subsystem design and how the capabilities of technologies, components, and subsystems impact system design.

About the Author
Professor Michael Steer is currently the Lampe Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at North Carolina State University. He is an IEEE Fellow and former editor-in-chief of the IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques. He has authored hundreds of publications as well as the textbooks Foundations of Interconnect and Microstrip Design and Multifunctional Adaptive Microwave Circuits and Systems.

RF Electronics – Design and Simulation eBook

RF Electronics – Design and Simulation, authored by Professor Keith Kikkert of James Cook University in Australia, is a comprehensive RF design course, including lecture notes and lab examples, intended for final-year undergraduate or master’s degree students. The materials cover RF simulation, transformers, transmission lines, mixers, oscillators, filters, and amplifiers.

About the Author

Dr. Kikkert obtained his BE with first-class honors and his PhD from the University of Adelaide and lectured there for three years before going to JCU, where he has taught communication systems principles and analog, digital, and RF electronics for over 37 years. Dr. Kikkert retired from full-time teaching in 2010 but continues to teach at different universities. He is active in research and publishing in the area of electronic design for communication systems, using both computer simulation and hardware design and measurement techniques.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission of Cornelis J. Kikkert.

Publisher: James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia, 4811. http://www.jcu.edu.au, 2022 Edition Copyright © 2022 C. J. Kikkert, ISBN 978-0-6486803-9-0.

The accompanying AWR DE project files are also Copyright © 2022 C. J. Kikkert, ISBN 978-0-6486803-9-0. All or part of their content may also be copyrighted under earlier editions of this book. C. J. Kikkert grants readers of this book permission to use these project files and to modify them, in order to gain an understanding of the material presented in this publication. The text contained in the “Design Notes” of the project files may not be altered or removed from the project files.

The mentioning of any commercial companies in this book is not done as an endorsement. They are mentioned purely in order to better describe the material presented in this book.

Cadence Design Systems Inc. (owners of AWR) has been given a license to distribute this publication and the accompanying project files through the University Program of Cadence AWR. For any questions in relation to this material, please contact: Keith.Kikkert@jcu.edu.au

Conquer Radio Frequency eBook

Conquer Radio Frequency, authored by Dr. Francesco Fornetti of Bristol University in the UK, is a multimedia conceptual guide to RF and microwave engineering built around Cadence AWR^® software video tutorials.

The materials include a full-color textbook and over 12 hours of videos designed to further educate the engineering student or junior professional. These enable the student to achieve a good understanding of the foundation theory and concepts behind high-frequency circuits and illustrate the most common design and simulation techniques for passive and active RF circuits.

About the Author

Dr. Fornetti's vision of academic teaching is that it should not be seen as simply a transfer of knowledge and notions between the instructor and the student. He sees it instead as the process of stimulating curiosity and creating enthusiasm about a subject in a way that encourages, inspires, and enables students to explore the subject beyond classroom walls. He also believes that the wide availability of powerful simulation tools, new technology, and broadband internet access sets academic teaching free from the static setting of a classroom and the black and white pages of a textbook. In particular, in the field of RF engineering where laboratory work would be impractical, he feels that simulations and animations should be an integral part of teaching. They not only give students the knowledge to experiment with circuits on the simulator but also explain abstract concepts in a more conceptual and visual way.