Data framework for VLSI design

The authors present a design automation framework (DAF) implementation that was developed in an advanced full custom IC design environment at Motorola Semiconductor Israel. This framework, named TDF (Tools and Data Framework), operates in a large-scale multi-user, multi-node environment. TDF successfully supports all the necessary requirements of a VLSI design framework: data hiding, versioning, atomicity, and recovery of mass files operations; and concurrency control and data sharing for design-team work. In addition to the extensive data management services, TDF provides an open environment for tool integration. The authors emphasize two aspects of TDF: the data model and the dynamic configuration mechanism. The data model directly reflects the data partitioning of IC designs, thereby allowing efficient navigation in the design database. The dynamic configuration mechanism is a simple and powerful format for the definition of ad hoc configurations, such as design integration, revisions freeze, and mixed view.<>