GENERIC: A Silicon Compiler Support Language

We describe a support language, GENERIC, for producing high quality, general purpose layout in a silicon compiler. Since layout is the critical bottleneck to producing high-quality integrated circuits in silicon compilers, better methods are needed for this critical task. GENERIC forms a rich semantic base for describing and manipulating layout in a VLSI design system, enabling more complex layout to be generated. No particular design style is imposed by the language; Instead, operators and data structures are provided for efficient and effective manipulation of the layout. The operators form a more abstract basis for implementing layout strategies, and yet are still inherently efficient. Using the operators and data structures of GENERIC, a unification of extant techniques is presented, as well as extensions of the layout methodology in ways not possible with existing techniques. Furthermore, GENERIC contains a novel mechanism called planes which allows arbitrary topological manipulations in a way that guarantees design rule correctness.