An Efficient Multilayer MCM Router Based on Four-Via Routing

In this paper, we present an efficient multilayer general area router, named V4R, for MCM and dense PCB designs. It uses no more than four vias to route every net and yet produces high quality routing solutions. It combines global routing and detailed routing in one step and produces high quality detailed routing solutions directly from the given netlist and module placement. As a result, V4R is independent of net ordering, runs much faster, and uses far less memory compared to other multilayer general area routers. Experimental results show that V4R outperforms both the 3D maze router and the SLICE router significantly.