Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
173 words
A method of fabricating an electronic circuit, represented in netlist form and having a plurality of netlist transistors, in a customizable integrated semiconductor device in a substrate, comprising the steps of: forming a plurality of chains of continuously electrically connected transistors (hereinafter: "physical transistors"), each chain having physical transistors all of the same conductivity type, in said substrate, each physical transistor has a gate, a source, and a drain; electrically connecting the physical transistors to an adjacent physical transistor to form a continuous chain; grouping the netlist transistors by diffusion line tracing, forming a plurality of groups; assigning each group of netlist transistors to a group of physical transistors; calculating the cost function associated with each group of physical transistors; optimizing the total cost function by changing the assignment of one or more groups of said netlist transistors to said physical transistors and recalculating the cost function thereafter; and routing the electrical interconnection from one group of physical transistors to another group of physical transistors to form the physical layout of said circuit.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
173 words
A method of fabricating an electronic circuit, represented in netlist form and having a plurality of netlist transistors, in a customizable integrated semiconductor device in a substrate, comprising the steps of: forming a plurality of chains of continuously electrically connected transistors (hereinafter: "physical transistors"), each chain having physical transistors all of the same conductivity type, in said substrate, each physical transistor has a gate, a source, and a drain; electrically connecting the physical transistors to an adjacent physical transistor to form a continuous chain; grouping the netlist transistors by diffusion line tracing, forming a plurality of groups; assigning each group of netlist transistors to a group of physical transistors; calculating the cost function associated with each group of physical transistors; optimizing the total cost function by changing the assignment of one or more groups of said netlist transistors to said physical transistors and recalculating the cost function thereafter; and routing the electrical interconnection from one group of physical transistors to another group of physical transistors to form the physical layout of said circuit.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
59 words
The method of claim 1, wherein said grouping step further comprises connecting the diffusion line of a netlist transistor of a first conductivity type with the diffusion lines of the netlist transistors of the same conductivity type until said line reaches ground, voltage source or a plurality of diffusion lines of the netlist transistors of the same conductivity type.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
140 words
The method of claim 2, wherein said chains comprise a chain of P type physical transistors and a chain of N type physical transistors, each chain in a well, substantially parallel to and spaced apart from one another; each chain comprising a plurality of substantially rectangularly shaped diffusion regions, positioned in said substrate in an array, spaced apart from one another; a plurality of substantially rectangularly shaped gate regions, spaced apart from one another with each gate region lying substantially between a pair of adjacent drain-source regions; a plurality of tabularly shaped members, each spaced apart from one another, electrically connected to said gate regions and said drain-source regions; and each member which is connected to a gate region is positioned between adjacent members connected to drain-source regions, said tabularly shaped members providing for the interconnection to said physical transistors.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 3 wherein said routing step further comprising placing electrical interconnect lines over said tabularly shaped members and extending an electrical connection between said lines and selected members.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
97 words
The method of claim 4 wherein said routing step further comprising providing a cost penalty for placing electrical interconnect lines over said gate and drain-source regions, in the event no interconnect lines over said regions have been provided and in the event no gate connection has been provided; placing electrical interconnect lines over said gate and drain-source regions without any additional cost penalty to the extent an interconnect line has already been placed over said regions; and placing interconnect lines over gate connection regions without any additional cost penalty in the event that gate has been connected.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
126 words
The method of claim 5 wherein said cost function associated with each group is calculated in accordance with Cost=K.sub.1 * a+K.sub.2 * b+K.sub.3 * c+K.sub.4 * d+K.sub.5 *(e-k.sub.6)+K.sub.7 *(e-k.sub.6)* * 2 where K 1 , K 2 , K 3 , K 4 , K 5 , K 6 and K 7 are tuning constants a--the smaller of the number of isolation transistors used in the P chain or the N chain. b--the larger of the number of isolation transistors used in the P chain or the N chain. c--number of direct lineal interconnection between the P chain and the N chain. d--sum of all the routes, where each route is the distance between the transistors at the extremes of that route. e--number of tracks needed.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising fabricating a plurality of electronic circuits with each circuit represented in netlist form and having a plurality of netlist transistors.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
45 words
The method of claim 7 further comprising the steps of: separating each physical layout of a circuit from one another where needed by an isolation transistor; and connecting the gate of each isolation transistor to a voltage source, thereby isolating physical layouts of said circuits.