Calibre Fundamentals: Writing DRC/LVS Rules

Course Highlights

You will learn how to

• Write DRC rules that perform a full complement of layout dimensional checks
• Write specification statements to control DRC output
• Use Boolean and topological operators to derive new layer data
• Debug rule files
• Write polygon-directed and edge-directed checks
• Write basic and enhanced antenna rule checks
• Improve DRC run-time efficiency
• Write equation-based DRC rule checks
• Create and use layer properties
• Write rules to establish layout connectivity
• Write rules to recognize different devices such as MOS transistors, resistors and capacitors of different types, bipolar transistors etc. in the layout
• Extend the set of built-in device templates to include your own custom devices
• Extract various properties such as width, length, resistance and capacitance of recognized devices, using the Built-in property language within Calibre nmLVS TM and compare these values with those specified in the source netlist
• Effectively utilize the text present in the GDSII layout database, and supplement it with text supplied through the rule file to annotate nets and ports • Optimally use the various Calibre statements that deal with net and port names in the layout
• Write various LVS specification statements that control how the layout netlist extracted from the layout database is compared to the source netlist
• Effectively block out selected cells during the LVS netlist comparison process
• Call Calibre TVF routines from within device property computation functions
• Access layout property data from within device property computation functions

Hands-on labs

• Preparing the Rule File and Running Calibre
• Viewing DRC and LVS Results
• Using the Online Documentation
• Writing Layer Definitions
• Writing DRC and LVS Specification Statements
• Writing and Testing Dimensional Rule Checks
• Designing and Testing Derived Layer Statements
• Writing Polygon-directed Rule Checks
• Designing and Testing Edge and Error-directed Rule Checks
• Creating and Using Layer Properties
• Writing and Testing Connectivity Statements
• Designing and Testing Antenna Rule Checks
• Taking Advantage of Hierarchy
• Setting LVS Report Options
• Finding Soft Connections
• Creating and Naming Ports
• Inserting Text Objects Into a Layout Using the Rule File
• Writing Device Recognition Statements
• Specifying Custom User-Defined Devices
• Using the Built-In Language to Define Device Properties
• Writing TVF code to generate a DRC rule file