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Archive-name: lsi-cad-faq/part3
Posting-Freqency: every 14 days Url: http://www.ece.ucdavis.edu/sscrl/clcfaq/faq/faq-toc.html See reader questions & answers on this topic! - Help others by sharing your knowledge
- 1 schematic page (unlimited hierarchy)
- up to 25 parts on a page
- A-size page only
- up to 20 user-defined symbols
- no printing from within the Symbol Editor
- no export/import of symbols
- number of Symbol Library files that can be loaded is limited
to the total number shipped plus one
Netlister limitations include:
- up to 70 real devices for PSpice A/D netlists
- up to 50 symbols, before packaging, for PCB layout netlists
The following files are needed (use password 'anonymous':
<URL:ftp://ftp.netcom.com/pub/mi/microsim/>
<URL:ftp://ftp.netcom.com/pub/mi/microsim/>
<URL:ftp://ftp.netcom.com/pub/mi/microsim/>
<URL:ftp://ftp.netcom.com/pub/mi/microsim/>
<URL:ftp://ftp.netcom.com/pub/mi/microsim/>
<URL:ftp://ftp.netcom.com/pub/mi/microsim/>
A version for windows is also available. Read
<URL:ftp://ftp.netcom.com/pub/mi/microsim/>
to determine the necessary files.
31: Esim:
A new version of the switch-level simulator ESIM that can handle CMOS
transmission gates is available through MUG, ftp ftp.mosis.edu
(128.9.0.32))
32: iSPLICE3, a mixed-mode simulator for MOS/Bipolar circuits
(from Xiaocun Xu <xu@uivlsi.csl.uiuc.edu>)
"iSPLICE3: A Mixed-Mode Simulator for MOS/Bipolar Circuits"
The iSPLICE3 program is the third version of the SPLICE mixed-mode simu-
lation program currently under development at the University of Illinois,
based on research work originally initiated at the University of Califor-
nia at Berkeley. A mixed-mode simulator allows the circuit designer to
intelligently tradeoff simulation accuracy for speed within the scope of
a single simulator. The circuit designer is permitted to represent dif-
ferent parts of the same circuit at different levels of abstraction and
the mixed-mode simulator combines the different representations, models
and signal types in one simulation and produces the desired results while
greatly reducing the overall run-time. Currently, the iSPLICE3 program
has electrical, logic and and switch-level timing simulation modes. The
electrical analysis is performed using Iterated Timing Analysis (ITA)
which is an accurate, event-driven, relaxation-based circuit simulation
technique. The transistor models include MOS level 1, MOS level 3, the
TI MOS model due to Yang and Chatterjee and a Bipolar transistor model
from SPICE2. Accurate switch-level simulation is performed using ELOGIC.
In this mode, a set of discrete voltage states are defined and the time
required to make a transition between two adjacent states is computed
using electrical information. The precision of the model can be adjusted
to suit the desired level of accuracy. For logic simulation, simple
gates such as inverters, nors, nands, etc. are available with fanout-
dependent delay models.
The program can be obtained from the University of Illinois by
writing to:
Prof. R. Saleh, RE: Splice Program
Coordinated Science Laboratory
University of Illinois,
Urbana, IL. 61801.
There is a $100 cost for the tape, documentation, userguide and handling
charges for university or academic requests. FTP access is free of
charge on uivlsi.csl.uiuc.edu. There is a $400 charge to companies for
the entire tape/documentation set but no charge for FTP access. Please
make checks payable to the University of Illinois. Please request either
a Sun-tape or a 1600bpi magnetic tape.
33: Watand:
(From Phil Munro <FC138001@ysub.ysu.edu>)
This posting will give the interested person some information about the
WATAND (WATerloo ANalysis and Design) circuit simulator. Watand was
introduced at the 16th Midwest Symposium on Circuit Theory (1973). In
spite of its lack of advertising, Watand still offers some advantages
when compared with other well known circuit simulators. For example it
is a *truly* interactive simulator; that is, one enters the "WATAND"
environment in which analyses and design can be run and rerun, values
changed, settings queried and changed, etc.
Watand uses piecewise-linear as its primary simulation; other methods
are optional. It has ten built-in analyses which include the standard
dc, ac, and transient analyses, and two post-processors (display and
discrete Fourier). Output may be in the form of printed tables; graphics
display includes Tektronix 40xx output. At YSU interactive helps are
also available.
Watand provides for the creation and use of user defined elements in
addition to its own good stock of 34 built-in elements plus 21 built-in
user defined elements. User defined analyses and post-processors can
also be written, and it includes a powerful macro facility.
As of June, 1992, sale of the Watand simulator was still being handled
by Mark O'Leavey, Waterloo Engineering Software, 22 King St. S., Suite
302, Waterloo, Ontario, CANADA, N2L 1C6, Fax: (519) 746-7931; Phone:
(519) 741-8097. At that time I was informed that it was available only
for DECStation and Sparcstation, although we are running it quite suc-
cessfully at YSU under the CMS operation system on an Amdahl mainframe.
Two new and helpful manuals are available for the simulator. They
should be available at the Youngstown State University Bookstore, Youngs-
town, OHio 44555: Their approximate cost should be $7 each:
"WATAND Users Manual," by Dr. Phil Munro, Youngstown State
University, April 1992, 233 pages, 10 chapters, 4 appendices,
index.
"WATAND Introduction and Examples," by Dr. Phil Munro, Youngstown
State Unversity, June 1992, 204 pages, 12 chapters, index.
Watand does *not* include digital simulation at this time, nor does it
have any transmission-line elements. A self-heating BJT model has been
developed and is proving useful. Monte Carlo statistical simulation is
possible with dc and ac analyses using macro based analyses which have
been developed at YSU.
34: Caltech VLSI CAD Tools:
(From John Lazzaro <lazzaro@cs.berkeley.edu>)
Caltech VLSI CAD Tool Distribution - The Chipmunk Tools
The software tools in the Chipmunk system perform a wide variety of
tasks: electronic circuit simulation and schematic capture, graphics
editing, and curve plotting, to name a few. The tools run under a wide
assortment of Unix environments, as well as OS/2. Major Chipmunk tools
include:
Log: A graphical environment for entering circuit schematics, and
for analog and digital circuit simulation.
View: A tool for manipulating and plotting data.
Until: A graphics editor.
Wol: A tool for creating integrated circuit layout.
In addition to these major tools, many smaller tools are part of the
Chipmunk system. For more information on Chipmunk, access the Web page:
http://www.pcmp.caltech.edu/chipmunk/
or anonymous FTP to pcmp.caltech.edu and get the file:
pub/chipmunk/README
Contact the maintainer, John Lazzaro (lazzaro@cs.berkeley.edu) if you
have problems accessing the distribution.
35: Switcap2 (Current version 1.1):
This is a switched capactor simulator. It is available from:
SWITCAP Distribution centre,
411 Low Memorial Library,
New York,
N.Y. 10027.
36: Test Software based on Abramovici Text:
(Contributed by Mel Breuer of the Univ. of Southern California)
Many faculty are using the text by Abramovici, Breuer, and Fried- man
entitled "Digital Systems Testing and Testable Design" in a class on
testing. They have expressed an interest to supplement their course
with software tools. At USC we have developed such a suite of tools.
They include a good value simulator, fault simulator, fault col-
lapsing module, and D-algorithm-based ATPG module for combinational
logic. The software has been specifi- cally designed to be easily
understood, modified and enhanced. The algorithms follow those described
in the text. The software can be run in many modes, such as one
module at a time, single step, interactively or as a batch process. Stu-
dents can use the software "as is" to study the operation of the
various algo- rithms, e.g. simulation of a latch using different delay
models. Also, simple programming projects can be given, such as
extend the simulator from a 3-valued system to a 5-valued system; or
change the D-algorithm so that it only does single path sensiti- zation.
There are literally over 50 interesting software enhancements
that can be made by changing only a small part of the code. The system
is written in C and runs on a SUN.
If you are currently using the Abramovici text and would like a copy
of this software, please send a message to Prof. Melvin Breuer at
mb@poisson.usc.edu.
37: Test Generation and Fault Simulation Software
(Contributed by Dr. Dong Ha of Virginia Tech)
Two automatic test pattern generators (ATPGs) and a fault simula- tor
for combinational circuits were developed at Virginia Tech, and the
source codes of the tools are now ready for public release.
ATLANTA is an ATPG for stuck-at faults. It is based on the FAN algorithm
and a parallel-pattern, single-fault propaga- tion technique. It
consists of optional sessions using random pattern testing, deterministic
test pattern generation and test compaction. SOPRANO is an ATPG for
stuck-open faults. The algo- rithm of SOPRANO is similar to ATLANTA
except two consecutive patterns are applied to detect a stuck-open
fault. FSIM is a parallel-pattern, single-fault simulator. All the
tools are written in C. The source codes are fully commented, and
README files contain user's manuals. Technical papers about the tools
were presented at DAC-90 and ITC-91. All three tools are free to univer-
sities. Companies are requested to make a contribution of $5000 but
will have free technical assistance. For detailed in- formation, con-
tact:
Dr. Dong Ha
Electrical Engineering
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 24061
TEL: 703-231-4942
FAX: 703-231-3362
dsha@vtvm1.cc.vt.edu
38: Olympus Synthesis System
(From Rajesh K. Gupta <rgupta@sirius.Stanford.EDU>)
Recently there have been several enquiries about the Olympus Synthesis
System. Here are answers to some commonly asked questions. For details
please send mail to "synthesis@chronos.stanford.edu".
1. What is Olympus Synthesis System?
Olympus is a result of a continuing project on synthesis of digital cir-
cuits here at Stanford University. Currently, Olympus synthesis system
consists of a set of programs that perform synthesis tasks for synchro-
nous, non-pipelined circuits starting from a description in a hardware
description language, HardwareC.
The output of synthesis is a technology independent netlist of gates.
This netlist can be input to logic synthesis and technology mapping tools
within Olympus or to UC Berkeley's mis/sis. Current technology mapping in
Olympus is targeted for LSI logic standard cells and a set of PGA archi-
tectures: Actel and Xilinx.
2. How is Olympus distributed?
The source code and documentation for Olympus is distributed via ftp.
3. What are the system requirements for Olympus?
Olympus has been tested on following hardware platforms: mips, sparc,
hp9000s300, hp9000s800, hp9000s700, vax. All the programs in Olympus
come with a default menu-driven ASCII interface. There is also a graphi-
cal user interface, called "olympus", provided with the distribution.
This interface is written using Motif procedures.
You would need about 40 MBytes of disk space to extract and compile the
system.
4. How can I obtain a copy of Olympus?
Olympus is distributed free of charge by Stanford University. However,
it is not available via anonymous ftp. In order to obtain a copy please
send a mail to "olympus@chronos.stanford.edu" where an automatic-reply
mailer would send instructions for obtaining Olympus software.
39: OASIS logic synthesis
(From William R. Richards Jr. <richards@mcnc.org>)
OASIS is a complete logic synthesis system based on the Logic3 HDL
develped at MCNC (unfortunately neither VHDL or Verilog compatible).
kk@mcnc.org is the person responsible for it. OASIS is available to US
universities for $500 and non-US universities for $600. Industrial
license is $3000.
40: T-SpiceTM (was CAzM), a Spice-like table-based analog circuit simulator
(From William R. Richards Jr. <richards@mcnc.org>)
CAzM is a Spice-like table-based analog circuit simulator. It offers sig-
nificant performance advantages over other Berkeley Spice derivatives. It
is used fairly extensively in our design community. US university
license is $175, non-US $250. Commercial license is $800. It comes with
an X11- based signal viewing tool Sigview which is public domain and may
be anonymous ftp'd from mcnc.org. I am the primary contact for CAzM at
MCNC.
(Contact sales@tanner.com)
The CAzM program that was developed and offered by MCNC, has been
licensed for distribution by Tanner Research, Inc. of Pasadena, CA and
all future product availability and support is available from Tanner
Research. The program as offered by Tanner Research is a commercial pro-
duct and is now named T-Spice. This Spice-like simulator offers table-
based model evaluations for fast simulation performance, as well as,
included analytical models for use with digital and analog circuits.
Improvements to the CAzM models have also been made. Tanner Research
offers an optional Advance Model Library of charged controlled models
that includes an accurate, physically-based MOSFET model that is continu-
ous over all transistor regions of operations (including subthreshold),
and scales to submicron channel lengths. User defined models of any cus-
tom component or circuit written in "C" can be readily linked to T-Spice
as a general n-terminal device. Pricing is $995 for the simulator and
$1,245 with the Advance Model Library and Waveform Viewer. Universities
are offered a 75% discount. A modeling and extraction service is also
provided by Tanner Research to generate functional or transistor level
circuit simulation models for user supplied devices. The extraction ser-
vice provides extracted model parameters for existing circuit simulation
models, such as SPICE models, Tanner's own charge controlled MOS models,
or user's proprietary models. In addition, software is available to aid
users in extracting model parameters in house. For more information con-
tact Bhushan Mudbhary at Tanner Research (bhushan @ tanner.com), phone
818-792-3000 and fax 818-792-0300.
41: Galaxy CAD, integrated environment for digital design for Macintosh
Thanks to Simon Leung <sleung@sun1.atitech.ca>
The Galaxy CAD System is an integrated environment for digital design and
for rapid prototyping of CAD tools and other software. The system
currently includes schematic capture and simulation of both low-level and
high-level digital designs and is being expanded to include physical
design tools. Galaxy runs on a number of 680X0 platforms, including the
Apple Macintosh, HP9000/3XX, Apollo Domain, and Atari ST. Others will be
added according to demand.
The Galaxy CAD System is an ideal environment for teaching digital
design. It has been used successfully for both introductory logic design
and computer design courses at Wisconsin. Some of the features of Galaxy
that make it suitable for education are:
1. Integrated multiple-window environment: All Galaxy tools run
concurrently in a multiple window environment. Copying data
from one window to another is simple. Any number of simulation
sessions can be active simultaneously.
2. Hierarchy: the schematic editor and simulator are both fully
hierarchical. Building hierarchical designs is simple, including
creating symbols for modules. The simulator is a true hierarchical
simulator: it does not require a time-consuming macro-expansion
step.
3. Integrated editing and simulation: Designs are edited and
simulated in the same environment. Simulation input and output
can be shown directly on schematics, allowing direct manipulation
of net values. Unlike other products, Galaxy does not require
modification of the schematic to insert "switch" and "light"
components. In addition, Galaxy allows display of bus values in
hexadecimal directly on schematics to simplify debugging of
high-level designs. Simulation I/O can also use waveforms,
text files, and tables.
4. Faults: Stuck-at faults can be introduced on the schematic
editor and simulated immediately without rebuilding the
simulation model. This provides an excellent way to display
the effects of faults.
5. Buses: Galaxy supports specification and simulation of bus
structures, including complex extractions, fanouts, and bit
reversal. Buses are specified by annotating nets with text.
For simulation, buses are kept intact so that multiple-bit
high-level components can be used. Galaxy includes a library
of register-transfer components suitable for high-level
computer design and simulation.
6. Alternate specification of designs: In addition to schematics,
Galaxy users can specify design modules using a textual HDL
(GHDL) and using hardware flowcharts and state diagrams. A
hierarchical design can mix these representations as desired.
7. High-quality PostScript output: Galaxy schematics are of excellent
quality. Gates are drawn according to standard practices, e.g.,
OR gates are drawn with the correct circular arcs and not ellipses.
8. Uniform user interface: Galaxy tools have the same user interface
on all platforms, reducing student learning curves. In fact,
the same tool OBJECT CODE runs on all platforms due to the unique
structure of Galaxy.
9. Adding new simulation primitives is straightforward.
10. No cost: Galaxy is available for free via anonymous FTP (Apple
Macintosh version). Other versions will be made available based
on demand.
Galaxy is also an excellent environment for rapid prototyping of new CAD
tools. By building on top of available resources, we have been able to
prototype new tools in days or weeks that would ordinarily have taken
months or years. For more information, send e-mail.
To obtain Galaxy CAD, connect to "ftp://eceserv0.ece.wisc.edu/pub/galaxy"
using FTP. Log in as "anonymous" with password "guest". Galaxy is in
directory "pub/galaxy". The file "README" in that directory gives
further instructions. Please register as a user by sending e-mail to
"beetem@engr.wisc.edu".
John F. Beetem
ECE Department
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI 53706
USA
(608) 262-6229
beetem@engr.wisc.edu
42: WireC graphical/procedural system for schematic information
(From Larry McMurchie <larry@cs.washington.edu>)
WireC is a graphical specification language that combines schematics with
procedural constructs for describing complex microelectronic systems.
WireC allows the designer to choose the appropriate representation,
either graphical or procedural, at a fine-grain level depending on the
characteristics of the circuit being designed. Drawing traditional
schematic symbols and their interconnections provides fast intuitive
interaction with a circuit design while procedural constructs give the
power and flexibility to describe circuit structures algorithmically and
allow single descriptions to represent whole families of devices.
The procedural capability of WireC allows other CAD tools to be incor-
porated into the design system. For example, we have defined an inter-
face to the SIS logic synthesis system wherein the designer can represent
part of the system behaviorally. WireC invokes logic synthesis on these
components to produce a structural description that can be incorporated
into the rest of the design.
Libraries of devices defining a particular netlist output format may be
defined by the user. The libraries currently distributed with WireC
include a default CMOS gate library whose output is the SIM format. This
format can be simulated with COSMOS or IRSIM and compared against a cir-
cuit extracted from layout. This library also includes devices that
allow a behavioral description to be synthesized and mapped using MIS or
SIS and incorporated into a larger circuit.
Another library is the xnf library for designing systems with Xilinx
FPGAs. Written by Jackson Kong, Martine Schlag and Pak Chan of UCSC,
this library contains devices specific to the 2000 and 3000 series Xilinx
LCA's. In addition to drawing the devices explicitly, one can represent
parts of a circuit with equations and have these synthesized automati-
cally.
Currently in progress is a library of CMOS gates for Cascade Design
Automation's ChipCrafter product. WireC provides a mixed
schematic/procedural design frontend for ChipCrafter, which uses module
generation, timing analysis and place and route software to create a phy-
sical layout from the WireC design specification.
WireC was written by Larry McMurchie, Carl Ebeling, Zhanbing Wu and Ed
Tellman. We are interested in any libraries you may develop and will
provide a limited degree of support.
WireC requires an X-Windows compatible environment and a C++ compiler
such as Gnu G++ and AT&T CC. WireC is available via ftp on the Internet.
For details send mail to
larry@cs.washington.edu ebeling@cs.washington.edu
43: LateX circuit symbols for schematic generation
(From Adrian Johnstone <adrian@cs.rhbnc.ac.uk>)
A set of circuit schematic symbols are available for use in LaTeX picture
mode. The set includes all basic logic gates in four orientations, FETs,
power supply pins, transmission gates, capacitors, resistors and wiring
T-junctions. All pins are on a 1mm grid and the symbols are designed to
be easily used with Georg Horn's TeXcad program: we even supply you with
a palette picture file that displays all 52 symbols in a compact grid
that you can cut and paste from within TeXcad. Each symbol lives in its
own .mac file and is defined as a 'savebox' so as to reduce memory con-
sumption. You must add the [bezier] option to your 'documentstyle' com-
mand. A small manual is provided in both Postscript and .dvi forms.
The files lcircuit.zip and lcircuit.tar are available for anonymous ftp
from ftp://cscx.cs.rhbnc.ac.uk/pub/lcircuit (134.219.200.45). I will also
be uploading them to various ftp servers in the coming week.
44: Tanner Research Tools (Ledit and LVS)
(Contact sales@tanner.com)
Low cost, yet very powerful commercial ASIC design tools are available
from Tanner Research, Inc. in Pasadena, CA. These products are used by
industry and universities alike. Tanner's products are nominally priced
at $995 per program, with a combined package named L-Edit Pro available
for $3,495 on the PC. Universities are offered a 75% discount. Here is
a list of their current programs:
L-EditTM : A full-custom layout editor with CIF and GDSII
input/output. Features a 32-bit coordinate space,
all-angle geometry, unlimited hierarchy and number
of layers. The L-Edit Pro package includes L-Edit/DRC
for design rule checking, L-Edit/SPR for automatic
standard cell placement and routing, L-Edit/Extract
for extracting transistors, capacitors, resistors and
generic devices for SPICE-level simulation or comparison
to a schematic and LVS ,a netlist comparison tool for
topological and parametrical verification. Optional
layout libraries are also available.
T-Spice: Circuit level simulator (See item 41 for detail
GateSimTM : Gate-level simulator. A full array of technology mapping
libraries are also available.
Products are available for the PC, Macintosh, Sun and Hp UNIX platforms.
For more information contact Bhushan Mudbhary at Tanner Research (bhushan
@ tanner.com), phone 818-792-3000 and fax 818-792-0300.
45: SIMIC, a full-featured logic verification simulator.
(From comp.archives.msdos.announce)
SIMIC is a full-featured logic verification simulator. It has been
demonstrated that SIMIC can uncover a number of critical design errors
that other simulators miss. SIMIC has shown superior accuracy and
throughput when compared to competitive products. Here are some of
SIMIC's important features:
- Mixed-mode simulation allows the free intermixture of true
bilateral switches (ideal and resistive), gate, plus functional level
built-in and user defined primitives.
- A wide variety of output, whose detail, content and format are, to
large extent, user defined.
- A large repetoire of simulation options and controls that can be
applied interactively, or in batch operation, and simplify
trouble-shooting of your design.
- Automated Test equipment emulation, allows debugging test programs
using SIMIC troubleshooting techniques.
- Sophisticated hazard analysis including: Spike, Pulse, Conflict,
Oscillation, Setup, Hold, Pulse-width, Near (what-if)
detection, among others. Hazard propagation is also supported.
The student version of SIMIC is limited to a maximum of 500 elements
(parts). In all other respects it is the same program as the commercial
offering. The PC student version requires a 386 or better and at least 2
Meg of memory. Both a DPMI and a VCPI version are included in the pack-
age. Both versions require EMS *NOT* be disabled. SIMIC is also avail-
able on Sun and other platforms.
The latest version is 1.02.00. The changes from revision 1.00.04 are:
Bug Fixes:
- Rams properly handled by circuit compiler.
- BTG (Ideal switches) compiled correctly with dynamic delays.
- By-name pin connections accepted by circuit compiler.
- JK Flip-flop timing checks can now be disabled.
Enhancements:
- Reduction in storage requirements for small RAMS.
- Fault Sensitization analysis added.
- Fault Simulation and grading added.
This revision can be taken from ftp://oak.oakland.edu/pub/msdos/,
or ftp://wuarchive.wustl.edu/systems/msdos/ . The files in ques-
tion are sim120bn.zip (Simic logic and fault simulator plus examples) and
sim120dc.zip (Simic Engineering and User's Guides).
The latest version is:
<URL:ftp://ftp.njcc.com/pub/genashor/simoc/msdos/>
46: LASI CAD System, IC and device layout for IBM compatibles
(from Mike Fitsimmons <mikef@eceuil.ece.uiuc.edu>)
I have uploaded to SimTel, the Coast to Coast Software Repository (tm),
(available by anonymous ftp from the primary mirror site OAK.Oakland.Edu
and its mirrors):
SimTel/msdos/cad/
lasi442a.zip LASI v4.4.2 IC layout CAD pgm; unzip in
lasi442b.zip LASI v4.4.2 IC layout CAD pgm; unzip in
lasi442c.zip LASI v4.4.2 IC layout CAD pgm; unzip in
This is Version 4.4.2 of the LASI CAD System that has been released
expressly for Internet by Dr. Dave Boyce the author. LASI was developed
to do integrated circuit and device layout on almost any IBM compatible
personal computer. It may be used for other CAD applications such as
schematics or printed circuit boards. Drawings may be translated into
GDSII, CIF or HP-GL. It is a CAD system that is easy to learn and run,
and is primarily intended for educational use in schools and colleges by
students, researchers, or anyone who doesn't have time of funding for
more elaborate CAD systems.
Changes: This version contains many improvements to LASI itself, the HP-
GL plotter, the CIF converter and other programs.
The condensed files are in three zipped files LASI442A.ZIP, LASI442B.ZIP
and LASI442C.ZIP. You must have all three zipped files to have a complete
set of LASI files.
Uploaded on behalf of the author.
47: EEDRAW, an electrical/electronic diagramming tool for IBM compatibles
This is available from SimTel mirror sites such as:
<ftp://oak.oakland.edu/SimTel/msdos/graphics/>
This is the 2.4 release of EEDRAW, an electrical/electronic diagramming
tool for the IBM PC. Electrical Engineering drawing (with layers).
Please read the readme file in the primary archive for information on
other source programs needed such as the Libary files.
48: MagiCAD, GaAs Gate Array Design through MOSIS
(from Tom Smit <smith.thomas@mayo.edu>)
MagiCAD is a system for GaAs semi-custom design through MOSIS and elec-
tromagnetic modeling of digital interconnect.
MagiCAD is now available on the following platforms:
* DEC Alpha workstation running OSF/1 2.0
* HP 9000/700-series workstation running HP-UX 9.05
* Sun SparcStation running Solaris 2.3 (SunOS 5.3)
The Mayo Graphical Integrated Computer Aided Design (MagiCAD) system
package provides a comprehensive design environment for the development
of digital systems, from initial concept to post-layout verification of
integrated circuits (ICs). MagiCAD focuses on the development of high-
speed Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) gate array designs. Specialized elec-
tromagnetic simulation tools are provided to address high clock rate
issues such as crosstalk and reflections, which become more important as
clock rates exceed several hundred MHz or signal edge rates become less
than 500 pico-seconds. MagiCAD provides all the necessary tools for high
clock rate GaAs IC design, and is also integrated with non-Mayo circuit,
logic, and fault simulators.
MagiCAD provides a lower risk approach than full-custom design for
universities wishing to perform digital GaAs design through MOSIS. This
is done by providing a gate array design environment where low-level
transistor design and layout issues have already been solved and
abstracted into a technology library of pre-defined cells. This frees the
student or researcher to solve the still challenging tasks of system and
gate-level design and layout to get high clock rate chips fabricated
through MOSIS that meet all specifications.
MagiCAD has been used in the design of many GaAs chips that have been
successfully fabricated. The MagiCAD electromagnetic modeling tools have
been used in the analysis of many actual packages, multi-chip modules
(MCMs), and printed circuit boards (PCBs), uncovering and avoiding prob-
lems that are commonly associated with high-frequency, fast edge-rate
designs. The Vitesse Fury (TM) GaAs VSC2K gate array is provided as a
MagiCAD technology library, and has been used for both graduate and
undergraduate student chip designs. The Vitesse FX20K (HGaAs-III) has
been entered as a MagiCAD technology library, as a replacement for the
VSC2K (HGaAs-II). A Mayo FX20K chip design is in fabrication now, and
after it is tested, the FX20K technology will be released for student
designs through MOSIS by 2Q 1995.
Functionality that has been integrated into MagiCAD includes:
o Vitesse Fury VSC2K GaAs gate array technology library (HGaAs-II)
o Database which integrates all tools
o Schematic entry through a general purpose graphics editor
o Circuit simulator
o Logic and timing simulators
o Fault grading
o Place and route tools
o Layout verification tools
o Output to standard GDSII format for mask creation
o Electromagnetic analysis
- Cross section entry with graphics editor
- Multilayer multiconductor transmission line (MMTL) modeling
- Network tool for solving cases with many transmission line components
- Lossy and non-lossy cases
- Frequency and time domain result displays
- Used for analyzing complex design paths, through chip, MCM, and PCB
The Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) has funded Mayo to supply
MagiCAD to universities in the USA for research and educational purposes.
The direct cost to the universities for the MagiCAD software itself is
zero (although there may be costs for any non-Mayo software that univer-
sities may want). Mayo-supplied MagiCAD training and support costs to
these institutions is funded by ARPA, and is therefore free to the
universities in the USA. MagiCAD is not being distributed or supported
outside the USA.
The general steps for a university to begin using MagiCAD
for digital GaAs gate array design include:
1) Contact Mayo Foundation to acquire MagiCAD software
and GaAs technology libraries.
2) Contact MOSIS to acquire general MOSIS information
and Vitesse-specific GaAs technology information.
Point Of Contact For Acquiring MagiCAD And MagiCAD Support:
Tom Smith
Mayo Foundation
Special Purpose Processor Development Group
200 First St. S. W., Guggenheim 1016A
Rochester, Minnesota 55905
Telephone: (507) 284-0840
Telefax: (507) 284-9171
EMail: Smith.Thomas@Mayo.Edu
Point Of Contact For Acquiring General MOSIS Information And Vitesse-
specific GaAs Technology Information:
Sam Reynolds
The MOSIS Service
USC/ISI
4676 Admiralty Way
Marina del Rey, CA 90292-6695
Telephone: (310) 822-1511 x172
Telefax: (310) 823-5624
EMail: sdreynolds@mosis.edu
49: XSPICE, extended version of Spice
(from Jeff Murray <jm67@hydra.gatech.edu>)
I am one of the developers of XSPICE, and at the risk of being deluged
with requests for specific information on the tools, I can volunteer to
answer at least some questions. Currently there is no ftp site for infor-
mation; if there were, this posting would likely be unnecessary. However,
we are prohibited from posting even the User's Manual due to technology
export restrictions.
The following is a copy of the original press release on XSPICE. If
anyone would like additional clarification beyond this, or if some
aspects of the release are unclear, we can certainly take this as an
opportunity to remedy the situation. Please note that at the current time
there are many dozens of individuals who have obtained a copy of the
tools; if they have any comments or observations to make, I'm sure they
would be most welcome to other members of the user community.
XSPICE Press Release
January 2, 1993
Georgia Tech Research Corporation
XSPICE, introduced at the 1992 International Symposium on Circuits and
Systems (ISCAS), is an extended and enhanced version of the popular SPICE
analog circuit simulation program originally developed at the University
of California at Berkeley. XSPICE was developed at the Georgia Tech
Research Institute (GTRI) as a tool for simulating circuits and systems
at multiple levels of abstraction. XSPICE permits a user to simulate ana-
log, digital, and even non-electronic designs from the circuit level
through the system level in a single simulator. A special Code Modeling
feature allows users to add new models directly into the simulator exe-
cutable for maximum simulation speed and accuracy. Code models are writ-
ten in the C programming language allowing arbitrarily complex behavior
to be described. Code model development tools are provided to simplify
the process of creating new models, compiling them, and linking them with
the XSPICE core.
XSPICE provides a rich set of predefined code models in addition to the
standard discrete device models available in SPICE. The XSPICE code model
library contains over 40 new functional blocks including summers, multi-
pliers, integrators, magnetics models, limiters, S-domain transfer func-
tions, digital gates, digital storage elements, and a generalized digital
state-machine.
Digital functions are simulated in XSPICE through an embedded event-
driven algorithm added to the SPICE core. This algorithm is coordinated
with the analog simulation algorithm to provide fast and accurate simula-
tion of mixed-signal circuits and systems. The event-driven algorithm
supports a new "User-Defined Node" capability allowing additional event-
driven data types to be defined and used. XSPICE comes with a 12-state
digital data type as well as a user-defined node library that includes
'real' and 'integer' types useful in simulating sampled-data systems such
as Digital Signal Processing algorithms.
XSPICE is currently available for UNIX workstations and is supplied in
source code form allowing users to customize and extend the simulator and
models to particular needs. To date, the simulator has been successfully
compiled and used on HP Apollo and Sun workstations. The XSPICE simulator
and User's Manual are available with a cost-free license arrangement from
the Georgia Tech Research Corporation for a distribution charge of US
$200 (including first class postage within the U.S.A.; an additional US
$25 is required for overseas delivery by air). For further information,
please contact the Office of Technology Licensing, Georgia Tech Research
Corporation, Georgia Institute of Technology, 400 Tenth Street, Atlanta,
GA 30332-0415, USA, or phone (404) 894-6287 (voice) or (404) 894-9728
(FAX). Internet users may send email to XSPICE@GTRI.GATECH.EDU to obtain
copies of the order form and license agreement (please include the word
"license" in the subject header when mailing to this address).
50: MISIM, a model-independent circuit simulation tool
(from Bardo Muller <bardo@ief-paris-sud.fr>)
University of Washington has recently released the updated MISIM simula-
tor. The new release (Sun version) is now available through ftp with
anonymous login. The node address is 128.95.31.10. The release is under
/pub/misim.SUN.2.3.a. If you have any question, please don't hesitate to
contact us (misim_support@ee.washington.edu). Or, you can contact Prof.
Andrew Yang at 206-543-2932.
Attention:
---------
We are currently re-writing the whole MISIM system in C with broader
design consideration. The noise and temperature simulation capability
will be incorporated into our next release. It would have more flexible
front end with better simulation performance. The new version is
expected sometime around the end of this summer. Since the actual
release no longer reflected the level of our technology, we removed it
from our ftp directory.
MISIM Development Team
Department of Electrical Engineering
University of Washington
MISIM 2.3A Release: General Information
------------------------------------------
A) New capabilities:
----------------
MISIM 2.3A is distinguishable from the previous release in that is now
integrates a transistor-level mixed analog-digital simulator based on
analytical digital macromodeling. The mixed-signal simulator is equipped
with a front-end translator which accepts standard SPICE netlist syntax
and converts it into MISIM mixed-mode syntax. Analytic macromodels for
digital subcircuits are generated and loaded into MISIM core simulator
automatically. Synchronized simulation is then performed for the digital
subcircuits (processed by analytic solution) and the analog subcircuits
(processed by proven analog simulation algorithms) with much accelerated
speed and superior analog accuracy ( within 3-5 % of SPICE).
The MISIM mixed-signal simulator supports all standard Berkeley MOS model
(Level 1, 2, 3, BSIM 1, BSIM 2). User-defined MOS models of arbitrary
complexity are also supported.
Currently, the procedure of processing analytic digital macromodeling
cannot be applied to bipolar devices (G-P model). Hence, all bipolar
transistors will be simulated as "analog" components.
MISIM's X-window graphic environment, WISE, has been upgraded to support
the mixed-signal simulation capabilities.
B) Model Improvements:
------------------
MISIM 2.3A now supports improved SPICE models (MOS, Diode, BJT). Many of
the model discontinuities have been resolved leading to more reliable
simulation. The MOS Level 2 and Level 3 models have also been upgraded to
an improved charge-conserved models. The standard SPICE diode model has
been enhanced to a non-quasi-static model capable of simulating accu-
rately the diode recovery effect.
These improved SPICE models are released as linked models. Users are not
recommeded to unload these improved models.
C) A New Parser:
------------
MISIM 2.3A incorporates a new netlist parser which supports two different
modes:
1) Standard SPICE netlist syntax - default mode. 2) Enhanced SPICE net-
list syntax - MISIM mode.
This new capability is designed to make MISIM completely spice-
compatible. In addition, the new parser now handles symbolic names and
expressions.
D) Updated Documentations:
----------------------
An updated MISIM User's guide is available in postcript form. On-line
documentations is also provided.
E) Future Release (MISIM 3.0):
--------------------------
1) The next release will include a new C-version analog simulator which
has been benchmarked to be a factor of 2 to 3 times faster than the
current fortran version.
2) The mixed-signal simulator will be enhanced to improve digital cover-
age rate (percentage of a mixed A/D circuit which can be processed by the
analytic digital macromodel) for better simulation performance.
51: Nelsis Cad Framework
(from their 'README' file)
Release 4.3 is the latest version of the Nelsis IC Design System. It
contains a CAD framework that puts a substantial added-value under the
fingertips of the designer by organizing the design information and
keeping track of the design evolution. It permits integration of
tools of different origin and achieves run-time efficiency. The
framework is based on intelligent management of meta data on top of
the actual design descriptions; it administers high level information
about the design activities and the structure and status of the design,
rather than operating at the level of the detailed design descriptions.
The framework services, such as flow management, version manage-
ment, concurrency control and state management, have been implemented
on top of the meta data management module. The framework controls
access to the design objects and administers meta data by performing
OTO-D queries. Tools operate on top of the framework via the Data
Management Interface, obtaining access to the design data according to a
nested transaction schema.
The Nelsis CAD Framework is available, together with a set of design
tools for demonstration purposes, through anonymous ftp from
<URL:ftp://dutente.et.tudelft.nl/pub/> .
Release 4.6.1 is now available. More information on NELSIS can be found
on WWW at <URL:http://www.ddtc.dimes.tudelft.nl/docs-4.6/docs.html>
52: APLAC, a general purpose circuit simulation and design tool
(from Sakari Aaltonen <sakari@picea.hut.fi>)
-----------------------------------------
APLAC 6.2
-----------------------------------------
General information
APLAC, a program for circuit simulation and analysis, is a joint develop-
ment of the Circuit Theory Lab of Helsinki University of Technology and
Nokia Corporation's Research Center. The main analysis modes are DC, AC,
noise, transient, oscillator, and (multitone harmonic) steady state.
APLAC can also be used for measurements with IEEE-488 apparatus. APLAC's
transient analysis uses convolution for correct treatment of components
with frequency-dependent characteristics. Monte Carlo analysis is avail-
able in all basic analysis modes, as is sensitivity analysis in DC and AC
modes. N-port Z, Y, and S parameters, as well as two-port H parameters,
can be used in AC analysis. APLAC also includes a versatile collection of
system level blocks for the simulation and design of analog and digital
communication systems.
Component models
Too many to be listed here. In addition to familiar Spice models, a great
number of microwave components (microstrip/stripline) are included. Sys-
tem models include formula-based and discrete-time models useful in RF
design. The model parameters of the components may have any functional
dependency on frequency, time, temperature, or any other parameter. Users
can create new components by defining their - possibly nonlinear - static
and dynamic characteristics in APLAC's interpreter-type language. Spice-
syntax models can be imported.
Input
APLAC reads its input - the nodes, branches, and model parameters of the
components - from a text file. Model libraries can be created and
included. Expressions are written in a program-like manner; user func-
tions may be defined. Conditional and looping control structures are sup-
ported.
Output
The output results from one or several sweeps of any user-defined func-
tion of the circuit parameters, time, frequency, or temperature. The
results may be printed or plotted in rectangular or polar coordinates, or
on the Smith chart. Graphics output can be directed to an HPGL- or CSDF-
type file, or to a graphics file for later viewing.
Optimization
APLAC includes several optimization methods: gradient, conjugate gra-
dient, minmax, random, simulated annealing, tuning (manual optimization)
and gravity center (design centering). Any parameter in a design problem
can be used as a variable and any user-defined function may act as an
objective.
Machine environment
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