ASIC Design and Implementation of a 16-Bit Floating-Point FFT Processor

Abstract

This paper consists of the design and implementation of an Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC) highperformance 512-point Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) processor that utilizes 16-bit floating-point arithmetic. The architecture of the processor is meticulously optimized to provide precise frequency domain transformations while keeping a close eye on essential design factors such as silicon area, power consumption, and timing performance. The entire design process, from a highlevel RTL description to the gate-level netlist and physical layout of the GDSII, is carried out using industry-standard Synopsys EDA Tools. To ensure that the design is correct under various input conditions, functional verification is performed using VCS and Verdi simulators. The RTL code is synthesized into a gate-level netlist with Design Compiler, followed by equivalence checking with Formality to confirm that the synthesized netlist aligns with the RTL reference. For physical implementation, IC Compiler II is employed to handle placement and routing and to generate the final GDSII layout. The architecture of the processor is specifically designed to meet the demanding requirements of real-time signal processing applications, allowing for efficient and accurate FFT computations that are perfect for embedded systems and communication devices. The resulting design strikes a solid balance between hardware resource utilization, power efficiency, and operating speed, proving its readiness for use in advanced digital signal processing environments.