Cell Layout creation from Standard Cells

Hello

We've been trying, with no luck, to create our own layouts using
standard cells, which can then be used in silicon ensemble to create a
bigger design.

Were doing this to garantee the placement is how we want it to be. For
example we have our own flip flop design using standard cells, which
we need to generate a layout for to use in SE.

We've tried loading the whole design into SE, routing it but the
placement is too random, even using timing placement etc; so somebody
suggested we build up the design like ive mention from individual
layouts.

We've tried to use virtuoso to do something like we want but it didnt
work and it is from custom layouts as we understand it, which we not
trying to do as were using standard cells.

Somebody has mentioned absract generator or something but we havent
got anywhere with that either.

Has anybody some suggestions/advice or tutorials?
Can we use SE to do this?

Thankyou

jools

 

You don't have to go out side of SE to do this. In SE, you can
manually place cells yourself and even add routing wires. You can load
your whole design into SE, place the cells you are interested in with
a script and then let SE place the rest and do routing.

Kal

 

if i understand your question, which is not very clear :

you are making your own blocks by placing and routing
standard cells by hand, and you want to use these blocks
in a bigger design with automatic routing.

is this correct?

what views do you have for the standard cells?
do you have the layout? or an abstract view?
if yes you could probably use the virtuoso router.
you need virtuoso XL licence and cadence ICC
to run the virtuoso placer and router.

if you want to use SE, i think you have to create an
abstract view. abstract generator is located in the
tools menu of virtuoso layout editor, under
'Abstract Editor'. I do not know however if you
need a particular license to run it.

 

Hi

We have abstract views of our standard cells but no layout views, in
SE these get placed onto a row when we run QPLACE as expected. We want
have our own cells to be placed on a row too as one entity.

For example our flip flop design has 8 standard cell gates. We want
some representation of this which can be placed on a row by qplace
like other standard cells, so it would be like a wide abstract view
with FF design inside using standard cells.

Effectively what I talking about is a hierarchy, the next level above
standard cells we need placeed like standard cells. And we cant use
blocks as we understand it as these dont get placed on rows, rows
encircle them. And we feel eight gates does warrant a block. This
would be used for a more higher level unit in a hierarchy, such as
counter, fsm.

I can run abstract generator, have access to virtuoso but cant get the
router to run, as it needs a *.rules file. We only have one of these
files for SE, and it refuses to use this file. And our tech file
apparently doesnt have the info it wants either.

We using the AMS Hit-Kit 3.30 if this is relevant.

Thanks for any advice.

Jools