Design methodology for mixed-domain systems-on-a-chip [MEMS design]

Digital design tools such as logic synthesis, semicustom layout and behavioral simulation have drastically changed the digital IC design process, enabling design of complex “systems on a chip”. The usefulness of such chips are limited in a world dominated by information that is not represented by 0´s and 1´s. Overcoming these limitations has led to mixed-signal, and mixed-domain technologies. We focus on design methodologies and tools to aid the design of complex microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) having large numbers of mixed-domain components. We propose a hierarchically structured design approach that is compatible with standard IC design involving a schematic approach to MEMS design, a layout synthesis strategy for cell-level design automation, and a feature-recognition based device extractor for layout verification. We present emerging results on our design methodology and tools