SECOND: synthesis of elementary circuits on demand

A weakness of current silicon compilers is the considerable investment required of the originators to design and maintain the underlying cell library. Furthermore, local functional extensions and exploitation of IC processes are difficult for users to achieve, demanding the skills of IC layout and CAD software experts. Progress in a structural silicon compiler, SECOND (synthesis of elementary circuits on demand), which imparts functional flexibilityl and process portability to cell libraries, is reported. Through the automatic generation of layout from logical descriptions, cell libraries may be specified in a high-level, technology-independent form, and implemented in a process-tolerant manner. The SECOND paves the way for CAD- and silicon-naive compiler users not only to add functional components to existing cell libraries, but also to utilize state-of-the-art production IC processes when they become available.<>