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Requirements for a Research-oriented IC Design System

Allen, Jonathan (1979) Requirements for a Research-oriented IC Design System. In: Proceedings of the Caltech Conference On Very Large Scale Integration. California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA, pp. 253-258. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechCONF:20120504-162414324

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Abstract

Computer-aided design techniques for integrated circuits grown in an incremental way, responding to various perceived needs, so that today there are a number of useful programs for logic generation, simulation at various levels, test preparation, artwork generation and analysis (including design rule checking), and interactive graphical editing. While the design of many circuits has benefitted from these programs, when industry wants to produce a high-volume part, the design and layout are done manually, followed by digitizing and perhaps some graphic editing before it is converted to pattern generation format, leading to the often heard statement that computer-aided design of integrated circuits doesn't work. If progress is to be made, it seems clear that the entire design process has to be thought through in basic terms, and much more attention must be paid to the way in which computational techniques can complement the designer's abilities. Currently, it is appropriate to try to characterize the design process in abstract terms, so that implementation and technological biases don't cloud the view of a desired system. In this paper, we briefly describe the conversion of algorithms to masks at a very general level, and then describe several projects at MIT which aim to provide contributions to an integrated design system. It is emphasized that no complete system design exists now at MIT, and that we believe that general design considerations must constantly be tested by building (and rebuilding) the various subcomponents, the structure of which is guided by our view of the overall design process.


Item Type:Book Section
Additional Information:The IC design research described in this brief overview is part of a project devoted to means to convert algorithms to integrated circuits sponsored by AFOSR, of which the author is the principal investigator. Gerald Sussman and Guy Steele have been studying constraint systems, and the work on algorithm transformations is contained in Glen Miranker's doctoral thesis. Ronald Rivest and Andrea LaPaugh are working on generalized placement and routing, and Paul Penfield is devising artwork analysis algorithms. Clifford Fonstad and Dimitri Antoniadis have been interested in new device technology and process modeling, while the LISP machine has been designed and built by Tom Knight, Jack Holloway, and Richard Greenblatt. The cross-disciplinary interaction of these people has led to a number of refreshing insights, and the start of many new research interests motivated by the needs of IC design.
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Computer Science Technical Report3340
Record Number:CaltechCONF:20120504-162414324
Persistent URL:https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechCONF:20120504-162414324
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Usage Policy:No commercial reproduction, distribution, display or performance rights in this work are provided.
ID Code:195
Collection:CaltechCONF
Deposited By: Kristin Buxton
Deposited On:08 Aug 2012 18:35
Last Modified:03 Oct 2019 22:50

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