Virtuoso XL Layout Editor User Guide

Editing Your Technology File for Virtuoso XL Layout Editor

To see the contents of mpu.tf, type

cd your_install_dir/tools/dfII/samples/techfile more mpu.tf

where your_install_dir is the directory in which you store the Cadence software.

The mpu.tf technology file covers these areas:

■Differences between the pre-4.4 versions and later versions of the technology file

■Layer definitions (layer numbers, purposes, priorities, and connectivity)

■Symbolic devices (including symbolic contacts)

■Physical rules, such as spacing rules (including minWidth) and ordered spacing rules

■Electrical rules

■Virtuoso XL-specific rules

■Other application-specific rules

You must define this information in the technology file of all libraries referenced in your design.

Virtuoso XL Technology File Requirements

The technology file information you need to run Virtuoso XL includes additions to the following sections of the technology file:

■Layer information in the Layer Rules class

■Symbolic contact information in the Devices class

■Device spacing information in the Physical Rules class

■Connectivity information in the Virtuoso XL Rules class

■Compactor information in the Compactor Rules class

Note: If you have information in the Device-Level Editor (DLE) Rules class in your technology

file, you do not have to rewrite it; the Virtuoso XL software translatesdleRules into lxRules.

Virtuoso XL Layout Editor User Guide

Editing Your Technology File for Virtuoso XL Layout Editor

Layer Rules

In the layerRules class, Virtuoso XL requires the equivalentLayers subclass to specify layers that have equivalent connectivity and the viaLayers subclass to define layers used for vias and the layers they connect. Virtuoso XL uses this information to determine short circuits and open circuits.

■equivalentLayers (called leEquivalent in versions 4.3.4 and earlier) defines layers that are electrically equivalent.

In the following example, in the equivalentLayers subclass, when the metal1 layer touches the vddmetal1 layer, the two layers form a connection.

layerRules(

equivalentLayers(

( metal1 vddmetal1)

)

)

■viaLayers (called leEquivalent in versions 4.3.4 and earlier) defines layers used for vias and the layers they connect.

In the viaLayers subclass, layers must be named in order. In the following example, the layer in the first columnmetal1( ) is the lower layer and the layer in the third column (metal2) is the upper layer.

If you have contact and via layers defined as equivalent to their corresponding interconnect layers, you can flatten contacts or draw new shapes to maintain or create connectivity.

Note: If you use devices from different libraries for your design, the layer and connectivity information in the technology file for each library must be compatible.

Virtuoso XL Layout Editor User Guide

Editing Your Technology File for Virtuoso XL Layout Editor

Devices

In the Devices class, Virtuoso XL requires symbolic contact definitions for instances used as vias and for path stitching (symContactDevice).

Devices(

symContactDevice(

;(viaName viaLayer viaPurpose layer1 purpose1 layer2 purpose2

;w l (row column xPitch yPitch xBias yBias) encL1 encL2 legalReg)

)

) ; end symContactDevice

You need contact definitions if you want to

■Place contacts using the Create – Contact command

■Perform path stitching (which automatically places contacts) using the Create – Path command

■Perform path stitching with the routing commands

Note: The mpu.tf file has sample contact definitions in theDevices class.

Virtuoso XL Layout Editor User Guide

Editing Your Technology File for Virtuoso XL Layout Editor

Physical Rules

The Create – Path command requires that in the physicalRules class, the

SpacingRules subclass must contain the minWidth parameter, which defines the minimum width of objects and the default width of paths drawn on a particular layer.