A novel simulation and verification approach in an ASIC design process

We have built a fast signal-processing and readout ASIC (PPrAsic) for the Pre-Processor system of the ATLAS Level-1 Calorimeter Trigger. Our novel ASIC design environment incorporates algorithm development with digital hardware synthesis and verification. The purely digital ASIC was designed in Verilog HDL (hardware description language) and embedded in a system wide analog and digital simulation or implemented algorithms. We present here our design environment and experience that we gained from the design process. (10 refs).