A Structured Approach to VLSI Layout Design

Abstract

A new approach to the VLSI layout problem is proposed that produces a structured floor plan for an arbitrary network of interconnected processing elements. It is based on extracting a minimum spanning tree from a given representation of a computation network and using an efficient, structured layout scheme for this minimum spanning tree. Techniques to lay out trees as arrays of layout slices are presented. It is assumed that the nodes of a network are identical in their layout size and connectivity. This method is valid at any level of a VLSI design since these nodes may represent gates, cells or complex macros. An application of this approach to modified tree networks is described. Other useful applications of the method are mentioned.