Cadence Software in the Classroom

The Cadence University Program provides Brown undergraduate and graduate students with the tools necessary to gain hands-on experience in both integrated circuit (IC) design and printed circuit board (PCB) design through the ENGN2980 Special projects/reading course. In this course, students not only learn the basics of these tools to create their own designs but also gain further experience by analyzing real designs created by the Nurmikko Neuroengineering Lab for various neuroengineering applications. By placing the course in this context, students start with a general engineering problem, experience the thought process behind designing a solution, and then implement or analyze pieces of this solution using the Cadence software.

The Cadence tools that students primarily use in ENGN2980 are the following:
Virtuoso (Analog Design Environment, Schematic Editor)
Cadence Chip Assembly Router
Allegro (PCB Librarian, Design HDL)

Cadence Software in the Research

Furthermore, graduate students in the Nurmikko Lab utilize the Cadence software to design custom ICs and PCBs for wireless neural recording and processing devices. More information on this research can be found here.

The Cadence tools that are primarily used in research are the following:
Custom IC
SiP
Digital IC
Verification

Updated on 8-2-2021 by Farah Laiwalla
Farah_Laiwalla@brown.edu

“Cadence is a registered trademark of Cadence Design Systems, Inc., 2655 Seely Avenue, San Jose, CA 95134.”