This web-based advanced course on VLSI system design has evolved from the lecture notes and the additional material used by Prof. Daniel Mlynek and Prof. Yusuf Leblebici in their senior-year course offerings at the Swiss Federal Intitute of Technology - Lausanne, over the past several years. The aim of the course series is to present a unified view of technological, architectural and design-related aspects of VLSI systems, and to familiarize the audience with the state-of-the-art issues in VLSI system design.

The course series is primarily intended for senior-level undergraduate and/or graduate student audiences, as well as for practicing engineers and designers in the microelectronics industry. The expected background includes basic knowledge of MOSFET device operation, analysis and design of basic digital/logic circuits (such as elementary Boolean gates), and a sufficient knowledge of IC design tools, all of which can be covered in introductory Semiconductor Device and Microelectronics courses at the undergraduate level. Ideally, the course work is to be supplemented with laboratory exercises to reinforce the essential design issues and problems using an industry-standard IC design environment.