R. Peruzzi Consulting, Inc.

Robert O. Peruzzi, PhD, PE
Electronics Consultant, Expert Witness

Design Verification and Behavioral Modeling Expertise
UVM, Real-Number Modeling (RNM), Radio Frequency (RF), Analog and Mixed-Signal (AMS) Semiconductors, Integrated Circuits (IC), and Systems-on-Chip (SOC)

Expert Witness: Forensic Investigation, Circuit Analysis,
Patent Analysis, Intellectual Property (IP), Patent Infringement. ICs, Modules, and Electro-Mechanical Systems. Requirements and Specifications

Computer Aided Design (CAD) Tools:
Cadence and Mentor Graphics, UVM, System Verilog, Real-Number Modeling, Verilog-AMS, Verilog-A, VHDL-AMS,
MATLAB, Simulink and HDL-Coder.
  • Self-checking test-cases
  • Verification-plan-driven modeling approach
  • System-level design exploration
  • Executable design specs

Why Behavioral Models?

Verification: Analog/Mixed-Signal behavioral models, whether real-number functional or electrical, are absolutely necessary for Design Verification (DV) of Systems-on-Chip (SOC) or large mixed signal devices.  Model accuracy is critical for verifying adaptive digital control (e.g. automatic gain control, digitally controlled frequency synthesizers, automated self-calibration).  With the cost of today's nano-scale mask sets it is irresponsible to neglect functional verification, or to "make do" with less than optimal models.
 
System Design: Behavioral models can be the link between high level plans using C, Matlab etc. and the detailed design level of RTL and schecmatic.  Behavioral models may be executed on the same platform as the final design and their output waveforms graphically displayed side by side and compared to those of the final design.  As such, they become an "executable spec" for the final design.

 

Why a Consultant?

Even though behavioral models are absolutely necessary, their creation and maintenance is not a task required twelve months of every year. A common approach is to add model writing to the tasks of circuit designers, but this is not the best approach because
  • An expert designer might see writing models as a tedious chore and his or her best efforts may be inadequate, resulting in bugs escaping through the verification net and into the Silicon
  • Functionally incorrect models are worse than none at all
  • Poorly written models may unnecessarily slow down simulation
  • Models may have not enough or too much detail and be too pessimistic or optimistic
A wise alternative is to contract out the modeling work to a consultant such as me, for only as long as needed.
  • I have many years of experience in analog behavioral modeling and design verification, and have earned battle scars from finding simulator and language bugs never mentioned in tool vendor's training classes
  • I have the experience and judgment to precisely create a model with just enough detail to fulfill the verification plan, execute as fast as possible without neglecting necessary detail, and make the model understandable so it can be maintained and modified once my job is complete.

Expert Witness Case

[Comment from retaining attorney]

"... we got a complete win in the case, including all damages we asked for, attorneys fees and costs. More importantly for you, in her decision, Judge *** found you credible and qualified you as an expert witness (so now you can testify in future proceedings that you have been qualified by a court as an expert in electrical engineering, and your testimony was received into evidence and relied on by the court in rendering its decision).  ... What a case."