Sizing Up the Competition

U.S. industry responded to intense foreign competition in the 1980s by forming the Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC), a nonprofit organization that funds basic semiconductor research at universities.

SRC established CSL as a lead institution in the design of reliable very large-scale integration (VLSI) circuits. In addition, SRC and NASA support spawned CSL's first center - the Center for Reliable and High-Performance Computing.

CAD Tools and Algorithms
Researchers developed techniques for fast circuit, logic, timing, and fault simulation. These techniques were used for computer-aided design (CAD) of VLSI circuits and in parallel CAD algorithms. The techniques are used today in many commercial CAD tools.

Chip Diagnosis
CSL created the first algorithms for the failure analysis and diagnosis of semiconductor chips.

Automatic Test Generation
CSL led the way in automatic test generation for large sequential circuits. This research spun-off into Sunrise Test Systems, a major supplier of automation tools to test semiconductors.