Virtuoso XL Layout Editor User Guide

7

Generating Your Layout with Virtuoso XL Layout Editor

This chapter shows you how to use the Virtuoso® XL layout editor (Virtuoso XL) to generate a layout and make an initial placement of components in it. This chapter covers the following topics:

■Starting Virtuoso XL from the Schematic on page 136

■Importing a Netlist for a Connectivity Reference on page 137

■Starting Virtuoso XL from the Layout View on page 139

■Defining the Design Boundary on page 149

■Creating Template Files on page 153

■Generating a Layout with Components Not Placed (Gen From Source) on page 163

■Placing Components in a Layout in the Same Relative Position as in the Schematic (Place As In Schematic) on page 172

■Moving Components from the Schematic into the Layout (Pick from Schematic) on page 173

■Manually Abutting Devices Using Pick from Schematic on page 180

■Cloning Components on page 181

Information about Virtuoso XL online forms is at the end of the chapter.

Virtuoso XL Layout Editor User Guide

Generating Your Layout with Virtuoso XL Layout Editor

Starting Virtuoso XL from the Schematic

To start Virtuoso XL from a schematic window, follow these steps.

1.From the Command Interpreter Window (CIW), choose File – Open.

The Open File form appears.

user/mnt2/home/cds.lib

2.In the Library Name cyclic field, choose a library name.

3.In the Cell Name field, type a cell name.

4.In the View Name cyclic field, choose a schematic view.

5.Click OK.

The schematic view you specified appears.

6.From the schematic window, choose Tools – Design Synthesis –Layout XL.

Note: Layout XL does not appear in the Tools menu unless the Virtuoso XL software is installed. If you do not see Layout XL in the Tools – Design Synthesis menu, check with your system administrator.

Virtuoso XL Layout Editor User Guide

Generating Your Layout with Virtuoso XL Layout Editor

The Startup Option form appears.

7.Choose whether you want to open a new or an existing layout cellview.

8.Click OK.

If you choose Create New, the Create New File form appears. The default view is a new layout.

In the Library Name cyclic field, choose a library name.

In the Cell Name field, type a cell name.

In the View Name field, type a view name.

Click OK.

If you choose Open Existing, the Open File form appears.

In the Library Name cyclic field, choose a library name.

In the Cell Name field, type a cell name.

In the View Name field, type a view name.

Click OK.

The default configuration of Virtuoso XL appears: the schematic window, the layout window, the CIW, and the LSW (Layer Selection Window).

Importing a Netlist for a Connectivity Reference

To import a netlist to use as the connectivity source for a Virtuoso XL design, follow these steps.

Virtuoso XL Layout Editor User Guide

Generating Your Layout with Virtuoso XL Layout Editor

The netlist syntax must comply with the guidelines defined in appendix B, titledUsing Spice and CDL For Netlist Driven Layout Generation. If you do not follow these guidelines, then the layout may not reflect the full intent of the netlist.

The netlist can contain user defined properties and generic parameters that can be passed to the layout instance generated from Virtuoso XL. Any parameter of type String, Boolean, int, and float is supported.

1.From the CIW, choose File – Import – XL Netlist.

The Import XL Netlist form appears.

2.In the Netlist File field, type the name of the input file (the netlist you want to import).

To see the names of your directories and files in the file browser, put the cursor in the

Netlist File field and clickBrowse.