Rev. Phys. Appl. (Paris) 22, 31-45 (1987)
DOI: 10.1051/rphysap:0198700220103100

Evolution of CAD tools towards third generation custom VLSI design

H. De Man

IMEC, Kapeldreef 75, 3030 Leuven, Belgium

Abstract
In this paper trends in CAD for application specific IC's (ASIC) are discussed. Shortage of skilled silicon designers, too long time to market and too low level of design as in standard cells and gate arrays, lead to a design strategy whereby system design is strictly separated from silicon design. (Meet-in-the-middle design). System designers will use interactive, knowledge based synthesis tools adressing a number of well defined target architectures to be generated from a formal specification language. Architectures are defined as a connection of a well defined set of reusable and parameterizable modules which are predesigned by silicon specialists. This is no longer done on a CALMA type environment but on an interpretative symbolic programming environment. This environment supports automatic parameterization and generation of layout, timing and testing views as well as automatic adaptability to new technology rules. Verification will be shifting away from costly simulation to knowledge based verification, based on a formal definition of design styles and automatic theorem proving. This will require multiprocessor workstations unifying high speed graphics and imperative, declarative and symbolic programming styles. A major problem with this methodology will be the (re)education of design engineers in order to design hardware the « soft» way.

Résumé
On discute ici les tendances dans la CAD des circuits aux applications spécifiques (ASIC). La rareté des concepteurs chevronnés ainsi que d'autres contraintes conduisent à une stratégie de conception qui tend à séparer la conception « système » de la conception « silicium ». Les concepteurs de systèmes utiliseront systèmes du type « intelligence artificielle » qui travaillent à partir d'un langage spécifique. Les architectures seront basécs sur des modules réutilisables et paramétrables. Un programme symbolique et interprétatif doit supporter la génération du « layout » ainsi que le test et la simulation temporelle. Les stations de travail seront du type microprocesseur qui allient les styles de programmation du type symbolique et déclaratif. La formation des ingénieurs devra alors se faire dans le sens d'enseigner les langages destinés à produire les circuits électroniques.

PACS
1130B - Computer aided circuit analysis and design.
1265 - Digital electronics.
2570 - Semiconductor integrated circuits.
5210B - Computer aided logic design.
7410D - Electronic engineering computing.

Key words
circuit CAD -- logic CAD -- VLSI -- computer aided design -- application specific integrated circuits -- CAD tools -- third generation custom VLSI design -- ASIC -- meet in the middle design -- interpretative symbolic programming -- knowledge based verification -- multiprocessor workstations