Lecturers, facilitators, participants of the training workshop

The first day began with the arrival of participants at the 4th Floor Venue for registration and the distribution of learning materials, including lecture notes, laboratory manuals, and name tags. The event was hosted by Prof. Kevin O. Maglinte, a faculty member at MSU-IIT and a staff member of the CICD Laboratory. The event was officially inaugurated with a welcome message from the Director of the CICD, Prof. Jefferson A. Hora, PhD. He expressed gratitude to the participants for traveling long distances to join the training and was pleased to see familiar faces from previous training sessions.

Dr. Jefferson Hora presenting his welcome address to the participants on the 1st day  of the workshop-training

Following the welcome message, Glenn Quiro, former GM of Intel Shenzhen & Shanghai, China, delivered an inspirational speech. The morning session continued with special messages from a representative of DOST PCIEERD and CHED Region X Representative Engr. Ray Lagrada.

Glen Quiro during his talk via virtual conferencing and awarding of certificate of appreciation.

CHED Region X representative Engr. Ray Lagrada giving a special message to the crowd and Telmark Representative Engr. Luwell Balagas in his technical talk

Both representatives extended their heartfelt appreciation to MSU-IIT and CICD for organizing training that fosters and enriches participants' knowledge in IC design. The session was further enriched by technical talks from Engineer Chen Bo of Cadence provided insights of the Cadence Tool and how it is useful in fully understanding the concepts of IC Design and Engr. Romel Mediano of Tekmark, who provided valuable insights into the latest developments and tools in the field of mixed signal IC design.

Dr. Gene Fe P. Palencia commenced the session with a lecture on the overview and challenges of Mixed Signal IC Design. This presentation was instrumental in providing participants with a solid foundation of what Mixed Signal ICs are and their significance in various applications. Dr. Palencia elaborated on the integration of analog and digital signals within a single chip, emphasizing the advantages and complexities of such designs. She discussed the practical applications of Mixed Signal ICs in contemporary technology. Additionally, she addressed the common challenges faced in designing these circuits, including issues related to signal integrity, noise reduction, and power management. This session equipped participants with essential knowledge to understand the critical aspects of Mixed Signal IC Design and prepared them for more advanced topics. 

Dr. Harreez Quimque delivered a comprehensive discussion on the introduction and characterization of Analog-to-Digital (AD) and Digital-to-Analog (DA) converters. Dr. Quimque explained the fundamental concepts of AD/DA converters, including their role in converting continuous analog signals into discrete digital signals and vice versa. She demonstrated the practical application of formulas used in designing these converters, providing step-by-step examples. Participants learned how to design AD/DA converters based on specific requirements, taking into account crucial factors such as resolution, sampling rate, and signal-to-noise ratio. Dr. Quimque also highlighted the importance of static and dynamic measures in evaluating the performance of AD/DA converters.

Dr. Gene Fe Palencia giving her lecture talk in the overview and challenges of Mixed signal IC design

Day 2 began with a detailed lecture on the different AD/DA converter architectures, presented by Dr. Olga Joy L. Gerasta. She emphasized the importance of resolution, accuracy, and speed considerations in designing both Digital-to-Analog (DAC) and Analog-to-Digital (ADC) converters. Dr. Gerasta provided an in-depth analysis of various architectures, explaining their advantages and trade-offs. In the latter part of the day, Engr. Kriz Adrivan conducted a lecture on Mixed Signal Layout Techniques and Considerations. This session covered essential layout strategies for Mixed Signal ICs, focusing on floor planning and the critical considerations required to achieve optimal performance. His lecture provided practical insights into the physical design aspects of Mixed Signal ICs. The last lecture was discussed by Dr. Jefferson A. Hora that tackles the Mixed Signal IC Design Flow was discussed that highlights Top-down modeling with the usage of Matlab simulink, EDA workflow integration and Cadence Mixed Signal Flow. 

Dr. Jefferson Hora introducing/sharing Xinyx Unlocked to the participants.

Dr. Olga Joy Gerasta on the different AD/DA Converters and Engr. Kriz Adrivan on lecturing  Mixed Signal Layout Techniques and Considerations

The first activity involved the design and implementation of a 3-Bit Flash ADC. Facilitators guided participants through the process, highlighting the speed advantages and the simplicity of the Flash ADC architecture, which is often used for high-speed applications. Participants learned how to configure the comparator array and the logic circuit to convert analog signals into digital outputs efficiently.

The second activity consists of four subsections. The first subsection is the Pre-Lab, which involves executing a buffer in both analog and digital settings. The second subsection is the Analog Laboratory, conducted in Cadence Virtuoso. Here, students start from scratch to create the schematic and must achieve a clean Design Rule Check (DRC) and Layout Versus Schematic (LVS) for layout execution. The third subsection is the Digital Laboratory, where the ASIC Flow must be followed to ensure no violations or warnings during the execution of the system's built-in scripts. The final subsection is Integration, which involves combining the Analog and Digital Laboratories to achieve the target result waveforms.

Throughout these hands-on activities, in a span of 2.5 days, participants applied the theoretical knowledge gained from earlier lectures, reinforcing their understanding of ADC design principles and practices. Facilitators provided real-time support and troubleshooting assistance, ensuring that each participant could successfully complete the tasks and gain practical experience in mixed signal IC design.

Facilitators assisting the participants during lab activities

To formally conclude the workshop training, Dr. Gene Fe Palencia delivered her closing remarks, expressing gratitude for the enthusiastic participation and unwavering support of the attendees throughout the Mixed Signal IC design training. She eagerly anticipated their future involvement in upcoming laboratory training sessions. Select participants were invited to share their testimonials, where they expressed gratitude to the CICD for its valuable initiatives and emphasized the training's relevance for their future endeavors. Certificates and special awards were then distributed, followed by a photo session featuring representatives from various schools.