Title :
Databases and cell-selection algorithms for VLSI cell libraries
Author :
Foo, S.Y. ; Takefuji, Y.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. Eng., Florida State Univ., Tallahassee, FL, USA
Abstract :
The issues that must be addressed before commercial database management systems can be used to manage VLSI CAD data are defined. A survey is presented of approaches addressing four of the defined issues: design hierarchies and multilevel representations, design alternatives and version control, common interface between cell libraries and efficient cell selection based on given design constraints. A frame-based model is considered as a case study of the special-purpose design database management system approach. This framework for capturing design data is based on semantic networks. It is well suited for application-specific ICs, yet general enough for other CAD/CAM environments. Benchmark results for the selection algorithms that run on top of the frame-based database system are presented.<>
Keywords :
VLSI; circuit CAD; database management systems; information retrieval; subroutines; CAD/CAM environments; VLSI CAD data; VLSI cell libraries; application-specific ICs; case study; cell-selection algorithms; commercial database management systems; common interface; design alternatives; design constraints; design hierarchies; frame-based database system; frame-based model; multilevel representations; semantic networks; special-purpose design database management system approach; version control; CADCAM; CMOS process; CMOS technology; Circuits; Databases; Design automation; Energy consumption; Gallium arsenide; MOS devices; Very large scale integration;
