Comparing IC Chip versions Made Easy with IC Rules and Custom AMPLE.

Michael Tedeschi
Cherry Semiconductor Corporation
mat@cherry-semi.com
(401) 886-3831

This presentation will discuss the development of a custom IC design tool named IC Chip Compare (ICCC). ICCC enables users to quickly compare two IC chips and identify their differences. This is useful when making revisions to an existing chip where only a few layers are to be modified and the new mask data must be verified to match an existing mask set. It is also useful for identifying areas of an IC chip that have been modified. The output of this tool is a new cell named 'compare_X' that is created for each masking layer of the original cell. The 'X' denotes the layer number for which the comparison data has been generated. Layer 1 of the compare cell contains mask data found to exist between the original and the new version of the IC chip (common mask data). Layer 2 of the compare cell contains mask data that exists only in the new cell (mask data has been added) and layer 3 of the compare cell contains mask data that only exists in the original cell (mask data has been deleted).

Bio:
Michael Tedeschi is an EDA Development Supervisor with Cherry Semiconductor Corporation (CSC). CSC is a supplier of full custom mixed-signal IC's to the automotive, telecommunication, power supply, and computer industries. Michael has been with Cherry for six years and his group is responsible for the development, integration, training, and support of electronic design automation (EDA) tools used to enhance design productivity. Prior to joining Cherry, Michael was involved with the design of thin film hybrid substrates. Michael holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Rhode Island and is currently working on an MBA degree with a concentration on Information Systems.