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Modifying a technology library in IC 6

Mugurel

Our company is doing MEMS design. Several years ago, when we started, we decided to use IC 5.1.41 and I have modified the technology ( TSMC 180nm) to include the needed layers. Now, we want to start new projects ( and eventually move the old ones) to IC 6. Things are a little more complicated in IC6 and I am having problems doing the same modifications.

The way I tried to do it is by dumping the original techlib, adding the new layers and recompiling it. I thought I was using available layer numbers for the extra layers, but each one of them is rejected as "reserved" during compilation. I have read that there may be several level of tech databases in IC6. The one I can see is the cdfDefTechTechLib, but the layers I tried to use are not there.

I have a few questions:

- what is the way to see all the databases chained in the techlib ?

- how can I find and eventually change the reserved layers?

- IC5 had the utility to edit the layer purpose pairs without having to recompile the whole tech library. Is there something similar in IC6

- what is the best way to replace an existing layer ( that I believe it is not used for our designs in the techlib) with another one?

Thanks a lot,

Mugurel

  • Marc Heise

    Hi Mugurel,

    1.  CIW - Tools -Tech File Manager - Graph

    2. Don't mess with the system reserved layers  ( dump out the cdsDedTechLib  to  get an overview)

    3. I think that gui was removed. Most customers preferred the ASCII techlib edit. It's a much more consistent way of doing manipulations.

    4. Dump the techfile, change the layer..if you really know what you are doing. ;) 

    ( If there is a layer in the layout, which is  not defined in the attached techfile, you will see a message about it in the CIW )

    Regards,

    Marc

  • Mugurel
    in reply to Marc Heise

    Thanks for your answer, Marc. Somehow I missed the graph button in the tech file manager. Anyway, it only shows one technology, so the used layers should be only those in cdsDefTechLib and the tsmc18. The internal layers in tsmc18 end at 194. In cdsDefTechLib they start at 200. But I could not add a layer with number 195 or 197, the error was stating it is a reserved layer. I had to remove some of the more obscure layers that we have never used and replace them with what I needed. I had no problem adding some extra purposes though.

    All the best,

    Mugurel

  • Marc Heise
    in reply to Mugurel

    Hi Mugurel,

    why do you have to remove layers to add new ones? You know that OA don't has that 256 layer limit?

    Regards,

    Marc

  • Mugurel
    in reply to Marc Heise

    Well, I know that, but TSMC is already using from 0 to 194 and from 200 to 254 are used by cdsDefTechLib.. To my understanding I should have been able to use the numbers from 195 to 199 but somehow they show as reserved, hence my initial inquiry.

    Regards,

    Mugurel

  • Andrew Beckett
    in reply to Mugurel

    In the Technology File Layer Definitions chapter of the Virtuoso® Technology Data ASCII Files Reference manual it clearly says on the page for techLayers:

    x_layerNumber

    Number of the layer.
    Valid values: A unique integer from 0 through 194 and from 256 through 231-1.

    Note: Layers numbered 195 through 255 are system-reserved layers.

    As Marc said, there's no need to limit yourself to the layer numbers 0-255, and so no need to remove any of the TSMC defined layers.

    Regards,

    Andrew.

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