A graph based algorithm to minimize total wire length in VLSI channel routing

Minimization of total (vertical) wire length is one of the most important problems in laying out blocks in VLSI physical design. Minimization of wire length not only reduces the cost of physical wiring required, but also reduces the electrical hazards of having long wires in the interconnection, power consumption, and signal propagation delays. Since the problem of computing minimum wire length routing solutions in no-dogleg, two-layer channel routing is NP-hard, it is interesting to develop heuristic algorithms that compute routing solutions of as low total (vertical) wire length as possible. In this paper we develop an efficient heuristic algorithm for appreciably reducing the total wire length in the reserved two-layer no-dogleg Manhattan channel routing model. Experimental results obtained are greatly encouraging.