Switch-level emulation

ABSTRACT

This paper presents a method for the fast emulation of switch-level circuits using FPGAs. In this method, logic gates are used to model switch-level circuits without any abstraction. In contrast to the abstraction methods for which transistors are grouped together to form gates, in this method, gates are grouped together to form the switch models of transistors. Unlike the abstraction methods, the method presented in this paper can emulate many important features of switch-level models, such as bi-directional signal propagation and variations in driving strength. In order to attain a better utilization of FPGA resources a mixed-mode emulation approach has been used. In this approach parts of the circuit are emulated at the switch-level while the rest of the circuit is emulated at the gate-level.

REFERENCES

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  B. Hardware
  B.7 INTEGRATED CIRCUITS
      B.7.2 Design Aids
          Subjects: Simulation

Additional Classification:
  B. Hardware
  B.7 INTEGRATED CIRCUITS
      B.7.2 Design Aids
          Subjects: Verification

General Terms:
Verification

Keywords:
FPGA chips, emulation, gate-level models, switch-level models