Algorithms and Techniques for VLSI Synthesis

The Integrated Design Aids (IDA) toolset represents an evolution of five years of work at Murray Hill research. IDA has served as a vehicle both for VLSI CAD research, as well as an effective mechanism for creating new VLSI chips for research projects. IDA consists of several major subsystems and many smaller tools and libraries. It has been used to create about 40 custom VLSI codes in nMOS, CMOS and wafer-scale technologies. IDA has two distinctive characteristics that separate it from most other CAD systems. First, it is based on a "constraint-based" language, IMAGES, which is considerably more flexible and powerful than more conventional languages. Secondly, it places heavy emphasis on automatic generation of full-custom silicon. The book describes both the theoretical and practical considerations that were taken into account in building and using the IDA toolset.