Sagantec - Layout Correction and Optimization

Layout correction and optimization enables designers to increase design productivity, shorten time to tapeout and improve quality of results.

In advanced process technologies the number and complexity of design rules are overwhelming. This has a severe adverse impact on layout implementation time and cost. With layout correction, layout designers can design faster focusing their efforts on layout topology and leaving the intricate details of complex design rule correctness to automatic enforcement and correction.

Another challenge is the dynamic characteristics of advanced processes. The design rule manual (DRM) keeps changing, reflecting the process yield ramp curve. This makes design rules a moving target that’s hard for designers to follow. With automatic layout correction, changing design rules is a breeze. Designers can start their design early on with an early version of the DRM, and then perform instant updates every time rules change.

Recommended design rules are yet another new challenge for designers. As their name suggests, they are not mandatory. Implementing all of them indiscriminately will result in severe penalties to both design schedule and silicon area. With automatic layout optimization, recommended rules are implemented in an optimal manner, with no area penalty and according to recommended rule criticalities and priorities.

Layout Correction and Optimization Tools

The main tool for layout correction and optimization is SiFix