Design Systems for VLSI Circuits

Synthesis is a crucial component of future CAll s;ystems. The competitive edge of IC desiBn will most probcbly come frc·'1l the use of effective synthesis tools. A complete synthesis system should generate layout masks from a high-level algorithmic, behavioral or functional des cription of a VLSI systen, [1 description of the target tech nology and a description of the constraints and cost func tions. The design should be completed in reasonable time and with the quality a human designer could obtain. Working designs have been produced with silicon compilers, but the quality of the design has always been a problem. ~n1ile for a restricted class of designs, such 2S Digital Signal Processors (DSP) , the use of a fixed floor-plan has been successful, its use for less constrp.ined applications results in inefficient utilizstion of areE and poor perfor mance. In addition, the structure of the control logic is of ten too rigid end not optimized, thus yielding F: slm'! and large chip. The present trend is to bre8t: the synthesis pro cess into stages, end to use tools thet optimize rep.l estate Bnd/or performance to go from one stege to the next. This book covers most of the topics in the design of di gital VLSI Circuits, 2nd focuses on theory, as well as algo rithms and co~puter implementations of desiGn systems.

Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute, L'Aquila, Italy, July 7-18, 1986

Introduction: Synthesis of LSI Circuits.- I: Synthesis Methods.- Procedural Design and Module Generation.- Module Generators for VLSI Design.- Abstraction and Layering in Silicon Compilation Tools.- Symbolic Layout and Procedural Design.- Physical Synthesis.- Automatic Layout of Integrated Circuits.- Logic Synthesis.- Algorithms for Multi-Level Logic Synthesis and Optimization.- Verification Algorithms for VLSI Synthesis.- Logic Synthesis.- Synthesis of Control Systems.- Towards Intelligent Silicon Compilation.- II. Synthesis Systems.- A Mixed-Media Approach to Module Generator Design.- Design of Module Generators and Silicon Compilers.- Layout Compilation.- The Socrates Logic Synthesis and Optimization System.- The Syco Silicon Compiler and Its Environment.- The MEGA System for Semi-Custom Design.- III. Synthesis Systems for Digital Signal Processing.- Automatic Generation of Digital Signal Processing Circuits.- Cathedral II: A Synthesis and Module Generation System for Multiprocessor Systems on a Chip.