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1.1.1 ECAD: Electronic Computer Aided Design

ECAD is concerned with the design of an integrated circuit in terms of schematics, netlists, and layout.    An integrated VLSI circuit consists of up to several millions of active devices that are interconnected on a chip to implement the desired functions, i.e., to build a memory module or a microprocessor. The layout contains a description of the entire integrated circuit, including all active devices and interconnect structures, in terms of material layersgif. Circuit simulation uses a netlist of the circuit, together with compact models of the electrical components, to compute the behavior of the integrated circuit. Model parameters   are extracted from device data obtained from measurements or from simulation. Some parameters - mostly concerned with interconnects - can be directly inferred from the layoutgif. The output of circuit simulation is used to verify the entire design. From the layout, lithography masks are generated to be used in fabrication and process simulation.



Christoph Pichler
Thu Mar 13 14:30:47 MET 1997