Mentor Blogs

In my previous post about TSMC making some DFM analysis steps mandatory at 45nm, I ended with a question about why the foundries can't just write better design rules (and rule decks) to make sure all designs yield well. This is a topic that has been discussed elsewhere, but here's my take on it. If we take a step back for a moment, there is something generic about DFM analysis that needs to be considered. … Read More

DRC, 45nm

I admit it.  I’m one of those rare adults who is actually willing to admit that he (or she) is a true fan of professional wrestling; have been since I was a kid in the early 70’s.  Over the entire course of those years, probably the greatest athlete in professional wrestling has been the recently retired  “Nature Boy” Ric Flair.  A multi-time world champ, one of Ric’s most prominent quotes has been … Read More

DRC, LVS, Physical Verification, Ric Flair

It is no mystery that the number of design rules has exploded over the past few technology nodes. It’s impossible for any human designer to “remember” them all, much less follow them all. It’s also a problem for the CAD engineer. We extracted some data from a spectrum of DRC decks that our customers have in production and the graph below shows the results. DRC Rule Count and Complexity by Technology … Read More

Design Rule Checking, Design Rules, Physical Verification, DRC