Study track

Starter Path

Quick onboarding path for learning the basic PD vocabulary and major implementation stages.

6 steps

  1. 1 | Foundations | ~35 min

    CMOS Fundamentals

    Foundation note for CMOS behavior and MOSFET concepts with focus on intuition, vocabulary, and why device effects matter later in timing and layout decisions.

  2. 2 | Logic & Handoff | ~45 min

    Logic Synthesis

    Synthesis-focused note describing the path from RTL intent to implementation-ready netlists, with emphasis on constraints, optimization goals, and handoff quality.

  3. 3 | Inputs & Setup | ~30 min

    Physical Design Inputs

    Input-readiness note clarifying required design files, constraints, and library consistency checks that prevent downstream physical design noise.

  4. 4 | Implementation Flow | ~40 min

    Floorplanning

    Execution-oriented note for floorplanning with focus on objectives, macro placement reasoning, power planning dependencies, and early congestion risk control.

  5. 5 | Implementation Flow | ~40 min

    Placement

    Placement lab note centered on timing/routability tradeoffs, legalization quality, and the debug loop between congestion signals and optimization moves.

  6. 6 | Implementation Flow | ~45 min

    Clock Tree Synthesis

    CTS note focused on skew/latency tradeoffs, buffering strategy, and the practical checks needed before and after clock tree optimization.