Guidance for a career in VLSI

Hello everyone,

I am new here. I am planning to pursue Masters in VLSI in United States. Prior to going there I would like to do some sort of certification course in the related field. Also I would like to know all the tools required for mastery in VLSI. So far I have learned VHDL programming. I am no expert in it but have a working knowledge of the software. Also I am acquainted with tools like PSPICE and have a working knowledge of MATLAB.

Any suggestions for me regarding a good start in VLSI domain are most welcome. Also please do comment on the prospects of a VLSI graduate from a decent US university. I would like to know the job prospects both in US as well as India. Please do comment.

Thank you all in advance.

Job opportunities in US for VLSI masters is more. As soon as you finish your first year you will get internship in any company for sure. But first decide in which area you are interest in, front-end or back-end and then start your course according to that. Verilog is essential for front end part. System verilog will be an added advantage. For back-end, be clear in theoretical concepts from floor plan to GDS.
Cadence and Synopsys are the two major tool vendors for semiconductor industry.
Cadence tool for
front-end --> nc sim
synthesis --> RTL compiler (rc)
Physical Design --> SoC encounter
DFT --> Encounter test
STA --> ETS
Regarding universities, your GRE score will help you a lot. Plan and prepare for that.

praneethyvs said:

Hello everyone,

I am new here. I am planning to pursue Masters in VLSI in United States. Prior to going there I would like to do some sort of certification course in the related field. Also I would like to know all the tools required for mastery in VLSI. So far I have learned VHDL programming. I am no expert in it but have a working knowledge of the software. Also I am acquainted with tools like PSPICE and have a working knowledge of MATLAB.

Any suggestions for me regarding a good start in VLSI domain are most welcome. Also please do comment on the prospects of a VLSI graduate from a decent US university. I would like to know the job prospects both in US as well as India. Please do comment.

Thank you all in advance.

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VLSI is a vast field with broad spectrum of job prospects.

Prior to going there I would like to do some sort of certification course in the related field.

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Wise decision, An ideal approach would be do a good course in the field and get a job in the same field earn some experience, with this your MS admission opportunities will also increase if you plan to go abroad(esp. US).

Sandeepani-VLSI has a good VLSI course go for it, and they also give placement assistance.

So far I have learned VHDL programming

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Well frankly, you have got to learn Verilog and also RTL coding in specific, and yes system Verilog will definitely come in handy, and in addition learn methodologies like OVM, UVM etc., they are gaining a lot of importance these days.

Also I would like to know all the tools required for mastery in VLSI

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There are plenty of tools out there but Cadence, Synopsys and Mentor Tools are the market leaders.

What field interests you in VLSI?

Well, sorry to bump such an old thread but the OP doesn't seem active

BhavaniT said:

VLSI is a vast field with broad spectrum of job prospects

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Really ? I didn't know beyond the basic Backend/Frontend division(as told by my professor)

BhavaniT said:

What field interests you in VLSI?

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I'd be more inclined towards the hardware aspects of the job.

I know the curriculum is rigorous but what are the most difficult topics to study besides DSP ? Do you work as an engineer in any of the fields in VLSI ? Could you provide an account of a typical day of your job ? Anything will do.

Really ? I didn't know beyond the basic Backend/Frontend division(as told by my professor)

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Well that's if u put it abstractly, but each field has got several other specializations, in fact if you would've studied VLSI design in your course work then all the steps in the chip design like masking, photolithography etc., they all become a job profile(crudely speaking), In India the industry is predominantly service oriented hence Verification is the hot spot, verification is carried out with verilog, system verilog and several other verification methodologies, which i have mentioned before.

I'd be more inclined towards the hardware aspects of the job.

I know the curriculum is rigorous but what are the most difficult topics to study besides DSP ? Do you work as an engineer in any of the fields in VLSI ? Could you provide an account of a typical day of your job ? Anything will do.

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I am a Hardware Design and Validation engineer mostly i design High speed multilayer printed circuit boards (Processor or FPGA based systems), apart from that i also do RF systems design, I do FPGA designs as well, (there are many other random things that i do apart from the ones mentioned which are my specialized areas), i don't have a stereotypical day, each day is different in terms of the technical challenges that i face, although i am not an expert in any of the fields but i worked with some luminaries in these fields so i have some knowledge so to speak.