The VIVID System Approach to Technology Independence: the Master Technology File System

Technology independence has been given to a complete range of design tools in the VIVID System with the master technology file (MTF) System. The MTF System manages a set of technology specification files in which a user specifies technology-dependent aspects of the target fabrication process. This information includes facts about process layers, circuit primitives, graphical representation, design rules, and physical and electrical constants. The specifications are written partly in the C programming language and partly in the MTF System´s own language. The master technology files are compiled, yielding a binary representation that is compact and quickly manipulated at run time by design tools using the MTF System procedural interface.