This proposal requests funds to permit Dr. C. L. Liu, Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, to pursue with Dr. Hon-Wai Leong, Department of Information Systems and Computer Sciences, National University of Singapore, for a period of 24 months, a program of research in the area of computer aided design of very large scale integrated (VLSI) circuits. Their research will be directed toward two major areas, namely, (1) design and synthesis and (2) reliable VLSI circuits. Initially, their effort in the first area will deal with research on physical design, an area in which they have considerable experience. Later, they will work in the area of higher level synthesis on such topics as logic minimization, module generation, and state assignment. In the area of reliable VLSI circuits, they will build on their own promising results on reconfigurable VLSI chips. One of the goals of the research is to understand the interplays between design and reliability. The research problem is of great importance in computer science and has the potential for impacting favorably on the semiconductor industry in the United States and in Singapore. This research could assist in solving some of today's design problems and produce new design tools for the future. Singapore's computer and semiconductor industries are thriving and are key players in the world market. In addition to direct benefits derived from this collaboration, it will be important for U.S. scientists to follow scientific developments in Singapore. Dr. Liu is a senior researcher who has an excellent international reputation. Dr. Leong brings to the project special expertise in algorithms for VLSI physical design. This project is relevant to the objectives of the Division of International Programs which seeks to increase the level of cooperation between U.S. scientists and engineers and their counterparts in developing countries through the exchange of scientific information, ideas, skills, and techniques and through collaboration on problems of mutual benefit. This project adds an international cooperative dimension to the PI's research under NSF Grant No. MIP-8906932.***
