7 research outputs found
STRICT: a language and tool set for the design of very large scale integrated circuits
PhD ThesisAn essential requirement for the design of large VLSI circuits is a design methodology
which would allow the designer to overcome the complexity and correctness issues associated
with the building of such circuits.
We propose that many of the problems of the design of large circuits can be solved by using
a formal design notation based upon the functional programming paradigm, that embodies
design concepts that have been used extensively as the framework for software construction.
The design notation should permit parallel, sequential, and recursive decompositions
of a design into smaller components, and it should allow large circuits to be constructed
from simpler circuits that can be embedded in a design in a modular fashion. Consistency
checking should be provided as early as possible in a design. Such a methodology would
structure the design of a circuit in much the same way that procedures, classes, and control
structures may be used to structure large software systems.
However, such a design notation must be supported by tools which automatically check the
consistency of the design, if the methodology is to be practical. In principle, the methodology
should impose constraints upon circuit design to reduce errors and provide' correctness
by construction' . It should be possible to generate efficient and correct circuits, by providing
a route to a large variety of design tools commonly found in design systems: simulators,
automatic placement and routing tools, module generators, schematic capture tools, and
formal verification and synthesis tools
Generating Programming Environments with Integrated Text and Graphics for VLSI Design Systems
The constant improvements in device integration, the development of new technologies
and the emergence of new design techniques call for flexible, maintainable
and robust software tools. The generic nature of compiler-compiler systems,
with their semi-formal specifications, can help in the construction of those tools.
This thesis describes the Wright editor generator which is used in the synthesis
of language-based graphical editors (LBGEs). An LBGE is a programming
environment where the programs being manipulated denote pictures. Editing
actions can be specified through both textual and graphical interfaces. Editors
generated by the Wright system are specified using the formalism of attribute
grammars.
The major example editor in this thesis, Stick-Wright, is a design entry system
for the construction of VLSI circuits. Stick-Wright is a hierarchical symbolic
layout editor which exploits a combination of text and graphics in an interactive
environment to provide the circuit designer with a tool for experimenting with
circuit topologies. A simpler system, Pict-Wright: a picture drawing system, is
also used to illustrate the attribute grammar specification process.
This thesis aims to demonstrate the efficacy of formal specification in the
generation of software-tools. The generated system Stick-Wright shows that a
text/graphic programming environment can form the basis of a powerful VLSI
design tool, especially with regard to providing the designer with immediate
graphical feedback. Further applications of the LBGE generator approach to
system design are given for a range of VLSI design activities