Student (m/f/d): Lightweight On-Chip Logging with Deferred Formatting

During your studies, you can contribute to our ongoing research projects. Join us in pushing the limits of what is technically feasible and be part of breaking new ground together. We offer a variety of challenging and practice-oriented topics for mandatory internships, Bachelor’s or Master’s theses or for student research assistants. You will analyse important scientific preliminary questions and support the project teams with development activities.

Place of work: Erfurt

Team: Microelectronics

Career level:Mandatory Internship, Thesis or Student Research Assistant

Research field: Integrated sensor systems

Time scope: By agreement

Start: As soon as possible

Application deadline: 2026-06-30

Reference number: IMMS_STUD_ME_0626

Debugging complex digital hardware is challenging when faults obstruct normal data paths, rendering traditional diagnostic channels ineffective. Dedicated on-chip logging solves this by providing internal state visibility through an independent side channel, reducing debug effort for FPGAs and silicon. However, manually inserting logging hardware is traditionally time-consuming and error-prone.

This project aims to develop a lightweight, reusable hardware logging framework that records internal events, severity levels, timestamps, and payloads, streaming them off-chip via UART. To maximize efficiency, the on-wire encoding will be highly compact, inspired by Rust's defmt crate, transmitting only identifiers and binary data while retaining format strings on the host.

Initially, logger blocks will be implemented in SystemVerilog for manual instantiation. Subsequently, the framework will be integrated into noRTL, a Python-embedded domain-specific language (DSL) that converts sequential algorithms into synthesizable Verilog. The ultimate goal is a noRTL-level API that allows developers to insert log points seamlessly within Python-based hardware descriptions, eliminating manual instantiation and metadata management.

WHAT TO DO:

Research observability standards and existing hardware logging approaches
Implement the hardware logger modules and the required infrastructure
Implement the noRTL integration and the corresponding host PC software
Comprehensively document the developed system and create a final report

WHAT TO BRING WITH YOU:

Solid knowledge of Python and Verilog / SystemVerilog
Basic knowledge of the Git version control system
A basic understanding of automata theory and hardware description languages

AND THIS IS US:

We strengthen enterprises with application-oriented research and development in microelectronics, systems engineering and mechatronics and transfer the results of basic research into applications and products. We support companies in launching internationally successful innovations for health, the environment and industry and provide solutions from the feasibility study to series production.

WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO MEETING YOU!

We thank you for your interest in working with us.

Please only apply once – for your favourite topic or for the one that comes closest to your interests. This is the quickest way for us to process your application and get back to you. If you are interested in more than one topic, please include this in your cover letter. In case our current suggestions are not suitable, please send us your with a topic you would like to work on.

WHAT CAN WE OFFER YOU:

An attractive workplace in a modern, very well-equipped and industry-oriented research institute
Work directly at the interface between university and industry
Work in a flexible and creative team and on innovative and challenging topics

We value and promote equal opportunities and are committed to the goals of equality and diversity.

Applications for the listed positions and existing working conditions are welcome regardless of gender and/or any physical disabilities.

IMMS ensures gender equality in the workplace and strives to increase the proportion of the under-represented gender. Women are under-represented in this field. Applications from women are therefore expressly encouraged.

People with severe disabilities will be given preference if they have the same qualifications, skills, and professional performance.

Address:

IMMS Institut für Mikroelektronik- und Mechatronik-Systeme gemeinnützige GmbH (IMMS GmbH)
Ehrenbergstraße 27
98693 Ilmenau
Germany

Contact: Eric Schäfer

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