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metal (or any dummy fill layer) skill code that can run at the block or chip level and automatically fill dummy metal in vacant spaces.

yogeshjaiswalCAD

Greetings Team,

I am grateful for your assistance whenever I am in need. I am working on TSMC 20nm with the IC 23.1 tool.

I need a metal (or any dummy fill layer) skill code that can run at the block or chip level and automatically fill dummy metal in vacant spaces.

Our form is the greatest spot for all experienced people.  Here is my code 

 In SKILL, we can check for empty space using dbFindAny or dbIntersect before creating a rectangle. This way, dummy metal is only added where nothing exists. Here's an updated, safe version of your metal fill procedure:

SKILL script: autoMetalFill.il

procedure(YOGI_metalFill(layerName fillSize spaceSize)
let((cv bBox xMin yMin xMax yMax x y fillWidth fillHeight space metalLayer)

;; Get active layout
cv = geGetEditCellView()
unless(cv
warn("No active layout window. Open a layout first!\n")
return()
)

;; Get layout bounding box
bBox = geGetBBox(cv) ;; replace with correct bbox function if needed
xMin = car(bBox)
yMin = cadr(bBox)
xMax = caddr(bBox)
yMax = cadddr(bBox)

fillWidth = car(fillSize)
fillHeight = cadr(fillSize)
space = spaceSize
metalLayer = list(layerName "drawing")

y = yMin
while(< y yMax)
progn
x = xMin
while(< x xMax)
progn
;; Check if the area is empty before creating rect
unless(dbFindAny(cv metalLayer (list (list x y) (list (+ x fillWidth) (+ y fillHeight))))
dbCreateRect(cv metalLayer (list (list x y) (list (+ x fillWidth) (+ y fillHeight))))
)
x = (+ x fillWidth space)
y = (+ y fillHeight space)
)
)

Since a tool-driven method is not ideal for addressing density concerns, kindly share any skill codes you may have.

I will be grateful for your help. Please help in!

 

With warm regards,

Yogesh Jaiswal

  • Andrew Beckett

    Yogesh,

    I see you updated the post above with an additional comment talking about dbFindAny or dbIntersect. I'm assuming this came out of ChatGPT or a similar LLM because these are invented functions that don't exist, and it also has progn appearing in strange places what aren't function calls. 

    My question would be why you would do this with SKILL? It's generally something that would be done with a physical verification tool such as Pegasus, and foundries provide rule decks for doing dummy fill. Doing this with a physical verification engine will be efficient and naturally handle hierarchical designs.

    It can also be done in-design with iPegasus too.

    Andrew

  • yogeshjaiswalCAD
    in reply to Andrew Beckett

    Thanks Andrew,

    I understand your views; however, if you can debug the code above, it will solve my purpose. It would be kind of you to provide clean code for it. Once again thanks for warm gesture

    I will wait for your response. Have a pleasant day!

    Cheers & regards,

    Yogesh Jaiswal 

  • Andrew Beckett
    in reply to yogeshjaiswalCAD
    yogeshjaiswalCAD said:
    I understand your views; however, if you can debug the code above, it will solve my purpose. It would be kind of you to provide clean code for it. Once again thanks for warm gesture

    I'm afraid I'm not going to debug code written by an LLM. Writing a proper dummy fill algorithm is far more complex than the framework you've got above, and writing something to do this when there are existing tools to do this job is not a good use of my time (given that this is done in my spare time, but even if it was my work time it wouldn't be a good use of that time).

    To spend 2 minutes listing what's wrong with the code above before even getting to the algorithm itself:

    1. There is no such function geGetBBox
    2. If there was, it wouldn't return the extent in a list (llx lly urx ury) which is what the code assumes with the car/cadr/caddr part
    3. while(< y yMax) is not valid syntax
    4. progn on its own makes no sense
    5. dbFindAny is not a valid function

    Andrew

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