Patent · US Expired

IC compaction system

US7310786B2 · kind B2 · utility

6Cited by
9References
20Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 3, 2005
Grant dateDec 18, 2007
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 20, 2026

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F30/392
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An integrated circuit (IC) layout includes an arrangement of instances of cells, wherein each cell describes a separate corresponding electronic device to be incorporated into the IC. An internal layout of each cell includes one or more objects corresponding to portions of IC material that are to form the corresponding electronic device, and the shape and position of each object within the cell layout represents the shape and position of the corresponding portion of IC material within the corresponding electronic device. When a dimension or position of an object within a cell's internal layout can be altered without affecting the behavior of the electronic device the cell describes, a device rule is created for that cell to indicate any constraint on that object's dimension or relative position. The IC layout is then compacted both by moving cell instances closer together, and also by altering internal layouts of cell instances in a manner consistent with their device rules.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.