Full-custom Circuit and Layout Design

Abstract

Studying this chapter should enable you

• □ To appreciate the limited role of full-custom IC design in industry.

• □ To understand the stages in full-custom design and why it is so much more expensive than semi-custom design.

• □ To see how the extra flexibility in logic and circuit design is used in full-custom design and how these stages interact.

• □ To understand the value of designing the floorplan of an IC to give a regular flow of data and control signals.

• □ To see the need for circuit simulation in IC design and the features of a simulation package such as SPICE. The importance of accurate SPICE parameters must be appreciated.

• □ To understand how circuit cells are converted to layout and the need for design rules. The cells and interconnections must fit together to cover the entire active area of the floorplan.

• □ To appreciate the problems of layout verification.