 ASIC: An application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) is a custom-made integrated circuit

designed only for a specific use, and not intended for general purpose.

 Applications: They are used in a number of fields such as automotive, medical,

telecommunication and industrial sector. An ASIC chip is used in modems, satellites, Bitcoin
miners, voice recorder equipment, etc.

 Types: There are three types of ASIC:

 Programmable ASIC – Divided into two types: Programmable logic devices (PLD) and Field
programmable gate arrays (FPGA).
 Full Custom Design – Also referred to as handcrafted design. It is a methodology
for designing integrated circuits by specifying the layout of each individual transistor and the
interconnections between them.
 Semi-custom Design – Divided into two types: Standard cell and Gate Array.

 Design Flow:

 Front End: VLSI Front end considers all the logical designing and verification part. In
simple words we can say all the work up to the Gate level or RTL Level designing and
verification is considered as VLSI Front End Designing and Verification.

 Back End: VLSI Back End considers all the designing and verification part after logical
designing means Gate level or RTL level designing, That may include Floor Planning, Place
& Route, and All the foundry work like fabrication, packaging etc.