From Geometry to Logic

Abstract

Transformation between five different intermediate forms used in VLSI design are discussed. The intermediate forms are: the D language, Akers' Diagrams, transistor listings, the sticks standard, and CIF language. They represent architecture, logic, transistor, topology and geometric levels respectively. To understand more about the relationships between these levels, a series of transformations from the CIF to the sticks standard, from the sticks standard to the transistor listing, and from the transistor listing to the Akers' Diagram are presented. By doing this, description gap between the logical world and the physical world is bridged. CAD developers often complain about the lack of a model that can be applied uniformly throughout the entire design process. Akers' diagrams seem to meet this demand. This work highlights this point. As an example, a shift register implemented in NMOS technology will appear many times in this thesis.