Interactive IC Routing Editor with Symbolic Bus Views
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Solution Overview
Problem
The complexity of designing very-large-scale integrated circuits, particularly in manual routing of interconnections, is exacerbated by the need for efficient and error-free placement of wires, which conventional tools fail to address due to cluttered displays and inefficiencies in manual and automated routing methods.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that allows for interactive manual routing of interconnections by representing a bus with a single symbolic wire, enabling rapid recalculation of wire segments upon changes, automatic assignment to metal levels, and compact file storage, facilitating efficient and clutter-free design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional manual routing methods are used, then routing can be performed with full control, but the display becomes cluttered and the process becomes time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the routing display by showing only the currently selected wire's path while other wires are represented by their endpoints. This segmentation reduces visual clutter and allows faster manipulation of individual wires without being overwhelmed by the complete routing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the detailed path information of non-selected wires from the main display, showing only their endpoints. This extraction technique removes unnecessary visual information from the current view, reducing clutter while preserving the ability to access complete routing data when needed.
2Loss of information
If all wire paths are displayed simultaneously, then complete routing information is visible, but the display becomes cluttered and hard to navigate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic display that changes based on user selection. When a wire is selected, its complete path is displayed in detail; when no wire is selected or a different wire is selected, the display updates to show that wire's path while representing others with endpoints. This dynamic adaptation reduces display complexity while maintaining information availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a hierarchical display approach where the main view shows endpoint positions (2D coordinates) and the detailed view shows wire paths (1D trajectories). This dimensional differentiation allows the system to represent routing information at multiple levels of detail without overwhelming the display with all path information simultaneously.
3Productivity
If automated routing is used, then routing speed increases, but routing precision and control decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by automatically calculating wire paths and checking for overlaps before finalizing the routing. This preliminary automated processing maintains high routing speed while ensuring precision through pre-validation of routing decisions, allowing the system to maintain both speed and accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the system continuously monitors wire placements and provides information about potential overlaps and conflicts. This feedback loop allows automated routing to maintain precision by detecting and correcting issues before they become problems, while still operating at automated speeds.
Data Source
AI summary
An automated system, and method of operating the same, for interactively routing interconnections in a layout of an integrated circuit. Interconnections among subchips in the integrated circuit, specified by a netlist, are displayed by the system by way of airlines. The system provides a symbolic view of the bus, showing a representative wire of the bus, such as that associated with the least-significant or most-significant bit position in the bus. The physical routing of the representative wire is interactively defined, using orthogonal wire segments in selected conductor levels. Bus properties, for example including bit pitch, wire pitch, LSB/MSB, and a direction of expansion, are associated with the routing data for each segment of the representative wire. The combination of the routing data and the bus property data enable building of the entire bus from the interactive routing of the representative wire in the symbolic view.