CDL import with SpiceIn: W + L wrong!

Thanks Marc!

I gave that a shot, and now the netlist fails to parse.  When I have the ".SCALE METER" line commented it out, it imports fine, but with the wrong size.  When I uncomment that line, I get the error in the log file below.  Am I missing something?

===================
Spice In Log File
===================
Parameter file: /tmp/spiceInPuje188
Import Parameters:
Netlist file name: /.........../sc9_cln65lp_base_rvt.cdl
Output library name: sc9_cln65lp_base_rvt
Output View Type: schematic
Schematic view name: schematic
Netlist view name: netlist_tmp
Reference Library List: tsmcN65 sc9_cln65lp_base_rvt_bdj
Device-mapping file name: /............../device_map
Master Cell for Ground: gnd
Cells to be Overwritten: <all>
Schematic Generation parameter file: /tmp/schOpts_spiceInPuje188
Simulator: spectre
Output Simulator: spectre
paramCaseValue: default
Parser: ASSURA
Language: CDL
WARNING (SPICEIN-99): 'Import Subcircuit List' is not found in the specification, hence setting it to
default empty value and importing all sub-circuits in the netlist.
ERROR (SPICEIN-102): SpiceIn failed to parse the cdl netlist file '/............./sc9_cln65lp_base_rvt.cdl'. You may read logfile 'lvsrpt.wrn'
for details.

3 years after posting this question, I found myself asking it again and finding my original post.  After some fumbling around, I was able to fix a CDL import scale issue with this syntax:

.OPTION SCALE 1e-6

The syntax of ".SCALE METER" or ".SCALE 1e-6" caused import errors.

I just did some testing with a netlist that looked like this:

*
.GLOBAL VDD VSS

.SUBCKT myCdlInv Y A
M1 Y A VDD VDD P L=6e-08 W=6.6e-07
M2 Y A VSS VSS N L=6e-08 W=3.3e-07
.ENDS myCdlInv

This imports with the dimensions as specified untouched (apologies for the typo in the messages!):

CDF parameter not found for 'L'. User property will be cretated
Created propName='L'; propType='float'; propVal='6e-08'.
CDF parameter not found for 'W'. User property will be cretated
Created propName='W'; propType='float'; propVal='3.3e-07'

If the netlist has the CDL directive *.SCALE (note that it has a * before it because it is not SPICE - CDL often uses a single star for such "pragma"):

*
.GLOBAL VDD VSS
*.SCALE METER

.SUBCKT myCdlInv Y A
M1 Y A VDD VDD P L=6e-08 W=6.6e-07
M2 Y A VSS VSS N L=6e-08 W=3.3e-07
.ENDS myCdlInv

Then they are indeed scaled:

CDF parameter not found for 'L'. User property will be cretated
Created propName='L'; propType='float'; propVal='0.06'.
CDF parameter not found for 'W'. User property will be cretated
Created propName='W'; propType='float'; propVal='0.33'

If you then add:

*
.GLOBAL VDD VSS
*.SCALE METER
.OPTION SCALE 1e-6

.SUBCKT myCdlInv Y A
M1 Y A VDD VDD P L=6e-08 W=6.6e-07
M2 Y A VSS VSS N L=6e-08 W=3.3e-07
.ENDS myCdlInv

then that undoes the effects of the *.SCALE METER. Obviously just removing the *.SCALE METER or putting an additional * in front (so **.SCALE METER) does the same thing.

Note that .SCALE METER will not work because that's not a valid CDL command - it is *.SCALE METER.

So overall, my guess is that your netlist (somewhere) has a *.SCALE METER in it, and that's what was causing the original problem. Adding the .OPTION SCALE 1e-6 just reverses the effect of that.

Regards,

Andrew.

I just did some testing with a netlist that looked like this:

*
.GLOBAL VDD VSS

.SUBCKT myCdlInv Y A
M1 Y A VDD VDD P L=6e-08 W=6.6e-07
M2 Y A VSS VSS N L=6e-08 W=3.3e-07
.ENDS myCdlInv

This imports with the dimensions as specified untouched (apologies for the typo in the messages!):

CDF parameter not found for 'L'. User property will be cretated
Created propName='L'; propType='float'; propVal='6e-08'.
CDF parameter not found for 'W'. User property will be cretated
Created propName='W'; propType='float'; propVal='3.3e-07'

If the netlist has the CDL directive *.SCALE (note that it has a * before it because it is not SPICE - CDL often uses a single star for such "pragma"):

*
.GLOBAL VDD VSS
*.SCALE METER

.SUBCKT myCdlInv Y A
M1 Y A VDD VDD P L=6e-08 W=6.6e-07
M2 Y A VSS VSS N L=6e-08 W=3.3e-07
.ENDS myCdlInv

Then they are indeed scaled:

CDF parameter not found for 'L'. User property will be cretated
Created propName='L'; propType='float'; propVal='0.06'.
CDF parameter not found for 'W'. User property will be cretated
Created propName='W'; propType='float'; propVal='0.33'

If you then add:

*
.GLOBAL VDD VSS
*.SCALE METER
.OPTION SCALE 1e-6

.SUBCKT myCdlInv Y A
M1 Y A VDD VDD P L=6e-08 W=6.6e-07
M2 Y A VSS VSS N L=6e-08 W=3.3e-07
.ENDS myCdlInv

then that undoes the effects of the *.SCALE METER. Obviously just removing the *.SCALE METER or putting an additional * in front (so **.SCALE METER) does the same thing.

Note that .SCALE METER will not work because that's not a valid CDL command - it is *.SCALE METER.

So overall, my guess is that your netlist (somewhere) has a *.SCALE METER in it, and that's what was causing the original problem. Adding the .OPTION SCALE 1e-6 just reverses the effect of that.

Regards,

Andrew.