From: altarrib@birch.eecs.ucdavis.edu (Michael Altarriba)
Newsgroups: comp.lsi,comp.lsi.cad,news.answers
Subject: comp.lsi.cad Frequently Asked Questions With Answers (Part 1/2) [LONG]
Summary: This is a biweekly posting of frequently asked questions with answers 
         the for comp.lsi / comp.lsi.cad newsgroups. It should be consulted 
         before posting questions to comp.lsi or comp.lsi.cad.
Keywords: FAQ
Date: 11 Jan 93 21:55:17 GMT
Reply-To: clcfaq@eecs.ucdavis.edu
Followup-To: comp.lsi.cad
Organization: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, UC Davis

Archive-name: lsi-cad-faq/part1

Welcome to comp.lsi.cad / comp.lsi: this is the biweekly posting of fre-
quently asked questions with answers.  Before you post a question such as
"Where can I ftp spice from?", please make sure that the answer is not
already here.  If you spot an error, or if there is any information that
you think should be included, please send us a note at
clcfaq@eecs.ucdavis.edu.

  Bret Rothenberg <rothenbe@eecs.ucdavis.edu>
  Wes Hardaker <hardaker@eecs.ucdavis.edu>
  Mike Altarriba <altarrib@eecs.ucdavis.edu>

  Solid State Circuits Research Laboratory
  Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
  University of California, Davis
  Davis, California 95616

----------------------------------------------------------------------

  $Id: comp.lsi.cad.FAQ.ms,v 1.41 93/01/11 13:44:50 altarrib Exp $

  Frequently Asked Questions with Answers

    1: Mosis Users' Group (MUG)
    2: Improved spice listing from magic.
    3: Tips and tricks for magic (Version 6.3)
    4: What can I use to do good plots from magic/CIF?
    5: What tools are used to layout verification?
    6: EDIF data exchange format.
    7: What layout examples are available?
    8: How can I get my lsi design fabbed and how much will it cost?
    9: Mosis fabrication services.
    10: Archive sites for comp.lsi.cad and comp.lsi
    11: Other newsgroups that relate to comp.lsi*
    12: Simulation programs tips/tricks/bugs
  ! 13: Getting the latest version of the FAQ
    14: Converting from/to GDSII/CIF/Magic
    15: CFI (CAD Framework Initiative Inc.)
    16: What synthesis systems are there?
    17: What free tools are there available, and what can they do?
    18: What Berkeley Tools are available for anonymous ftp?
    19: What Berkeley Tools are available through ILP?
    20: Berkeley Spice (Current version 3f2)
    21: Octtools (Current version 5.1)
  + 22: Ptolemy (Current version 0.4)
    23: Lager (Current version 4.0)
    24: BLIS (Current version 2.0)
    25: COSMOS and BDD
    26: ITEM
    27: PADS logic/PADS PCB
    28: Another PCB Layout Package
    29: Magic (Current version 6.3)
    30: PSpice
    31: Esim
    32: Isplice3 (Current version 2.0)
    33: Watand
    34: Caltech VLSI CAD Tools
    35: Switcap2 (Current version 1.1)
    36: Test Software based on Abramovici text
    37: Atlanta and Soprano automatic test generators
    38: Olympus Synthesis System
    39: OASIS logic synthesis
    40: CAzM, a Spice-like table-based analog circuit simulator
    41: Galaxy CAD, integrated environment for digital design for Macintosh
    42: Gabriel DSP development system
    43: WireC graphical/procedural system for schematic information
    44: LateX circuit symbols for schematic generation
    45: Tanner Research Tools (Ledit and LVS) (Commercial Product)

  + : new item
  ! : changed
  ? : additional information for this subject would be appreciated.

1: Mosis Users' Group (MUG)

  (From the MUG newsletter)

  The MOSIS Users' Group (MUG) Newsletter is distributed only via elec-
  tronic means to about 1200 individuals throughout the world who have
  expressed an interest in VLSI systems design and specifically in using
  MOSIS, the Metal-Oxide Semiconductor Implementation Service, that fabri-
  cates integrated circuit prototypes inexpensively.

  We hope that you enjoy receiving this newsletter and find it useful.
  Comments and suggestions should be directed to the Editor along with any
  change in address.  If you prefer not to receive messages of this type,
  which will occur no more often than monthly, please contact the Editor.

          MUG Newsletter Editor
          Prof. Don Bouldin
          Electrical & Computer Engineering
          University of Tennessee
          Knoxville, TN 37996-2100
          Tel:  (615)-974-5444
          FAX:  (615)-974-5492
          Email:  bouldin@sun1.engr.utk.edu
          Compmail II:  D.Bouldin

  A variety of design files and CAD tools contributed by the members of the
  MOSIS Users' Group (MUG) are now available via anonymous ftp from
  "venera.isi.edu" (128.9.0.32) in directory "pub/mug".  The files "readme"
  and "index" should be retrieved first.  These files are provided "as is",
  but may prove very helpful to those using the MOSIS integrated circuit
  prototyping service.

2: Improved spice listing from magic.

  Hierarchical extractions with net names: ext2spice done by Andy Burstein
  <burstein@zabriskie.berkeley.edu>:

  This program will do hierarchial extraction using node names.  It sup-
  ports PS, PD, AS, and AD extraction as well.  It is available for ftp
  from ic.berkeley.edu in pub/spice3/ext2spice.tar.

  Poly and well resistance extraction: There are persistent rumors that
  people have this working, however, all I have seen is extracted poly
  resistor with each end shorted together, ie each end has the same node
  name/number.

  (This is the most annoying problem that I typically encounter daily.  If
  ANYONE knows a fix for this, please tell us! I wrote a real quick and
  dirty set of scripts/programs to edit the magic file.  It will break the
  poly contacts and relabel them.  This is a real hack, but all other solu-
  tions require modification of the magic code itself.  This procedure only
  works with an extractor that handles labeled nodes, i.e. ext2spice from
  above.  --WH)

  There is an upcoming release of Magic 6.45 that is supposed to have a
  greatly improved netlister.  Here is part of the annoucement:

  The AuE Magic release provides hierarchical SPICE and LSIM netlist
  extractors not available in previous Magic releases. Previously, a flat
  SPICE netlist could be obtained using a program called "ext2spice". AuE
  provides a hierarchical SPICE netlister which provides a robust set of
  SPICE parameters for every device, including transistor source/drain dif-
  fusion perimeters and areas. The extractor has also been modified to
  correctly account for the shared S/D regions on stacked devices.

  The AuE extractor supports LSIM netlists, an Hspice compatible netlist,
  and a SpiceIIG compatible netlist. The SpiceIIG format uses node numbers
  instead of node names. The AuE SPICE extractor also recognizes bipolar
  junction transistors (BJTs) in several configurations. The previous Magic
  netlist extractor does not recognize BJT devices in any form.

  Spice listing from magic with MESFETs.

  (from Jen-I Pi <pi@isi.edu>)

  We have a revised version (of sim2spice) that goes with version6. It is
  available from our anonymous FTP host "venera.isi.edu" (128.9.0.32) under
  the pub/mosis/magic directory. The file you need is "gaas_extract.tar.Z".

  Assuming file inv.ext exist, the procedure for using 'sim2spice' is

      ext2sim inv
      sim2spice inv.sim

  Here's the resulting SPICE decks for SPICE3e...

          SPICE 3 Deck created from inv.sim, tech=edgaas
          *
          z2 3 4 2 efet1.2 2.8
          C3 3 0    0.485F
          C4 4 0    1.062F
          z1 1 4 3 dfet1.2 2.8
          *

  A new capacitance rule has been added to the base Magic extractor to
  facilitate the extraction of accurate dielectric capacitances. The previ-
  ous verion of Magic did not handle coupling capacitances correctly and
  frequently inserted a substrate capacitor in addition to the correctly
  extracted coupling capacitor.

  The AuE Magic release also includes an updated and enhanced technology
  file.  Modifications include fixes to several MOSIS DRC rules which were
  previously improperly checked, modifications to the CIF writer to resolve
  software bugs, and updated capacitance and resistance values in the
  extraction sections of the tech file. Special extraction sections for
  more commonly used processes have also been added.

  For information on how to order this version of Magic send an E-mail
  request to magic@AuE.com or send your request in writing to the address
  given below. We will start filling orders in mid October.

3: Tips and tricks for magic (Version 6.3)

  Searching for nets:

  Yes, magic does actually let you search for node names.  Use :specialopen
  netlist.  Then click on the box underneath label, you will be prompted
  for the name of the label you want to search for.  Enter the name, and
  then press enter twice.  Click on show, and then find, magic will then
  highlight the net.

  Bulk node extraction:

  Problems with getting the bulk node to extract correctly?  Try labeling
  the well with the node name that it is connected to.

  Painting Wells:

  Supposedly :cif in magic will automatically paint in the wells correctly.
  However this is not always the case.  If you are using mosis 2u technol-
  ogy, and your wells are getting strange notches in them, you might try
  changing the grow 300 shrink 300 lines in your lambda=1.0(pwell) and
  lambda=1.0(nwell) cif sections of your tech file to grow 450 shrink 450.
  (Remember you can use :cif see CWN to see nwell, if :cifostyle is nwell,
  or :cif see CWP to see pwell if its pwell technology to preview what will
  be done with the well.  You may use :feedback clear to erase what it
  shows you.)

  Magic notes available from gatekeeper.dec.com (16.1.0.2):

  (Located in pub/DEC/magic)

  Magic note.1 - 9/14/90 - ANNOUNCEMENT:  Magic V6 is ready
  Magic note.2 - 9/19/90 - DOC:  Doc changes (fixed in releases after 9/20/90)
  Magic note.3 - 9/19/90 - GRAPHICS:  Mode problem (fixed 9/20/90)
  Magic note.4 - 9/19/90 - HPUX:  rindex macro for HPUX 7.0 and later
  Magic note.5 - 9/19/90 - GCC:  "gcc" with magic, one user's experience
  Magic note.6 - 9/19/90 - FTP:  Public FTP area for Magic notes
  Magic note.7 - 9/20/90 - RSIM:  Compiling rsim, one user's suggestions & hints
  Magic note.8 - 9/26/90 - GENERAL:  Magic tries to open bogus directories
  Magic note.9 - 9/26/90 - GRAPHICS:  Mods to X11Helper
  Magic note.10 - 10/5/90 - DOS:  Magic V4 for DOS and OS/2
  Magic note.11 - 10/11/90 - GENERAL:  reducing memory usage by 600k
  Magic note.12 - 12/19/90 - EXT2xxx:  fixes bogus resistances
  Magic note.13 - 12/19/90 - EXTRESIS:  fixed bug in resis that caused coredump.
  Magic note.14 - 12/19/90 - EXTRESIS:  new version of scmos.tech for extresis
  Magic note.15 - 12/19/90 - TECH:  documentation for contact line in tech file
  Magic note.16 - 12/19/90 - EXTRACT:  bug fix to transistor attributes
  Magic note.17 - 5/13/91 - CALMA:  Incorrect arrays in calma output
  Magic note.18 - 5/14/91 - CALMA:  Extension to calma input
  Magic note.19 - 6/28/91 - IRSIM:  Some .prm files for IRSIM
  Magic note.20 - 7/18/91 - EXTRESIS:  fixes for Magic's extresis command
  Magic note.21 - 2/7/92 - FAQ:  Frequently asked questions
  Magic note.22 - 11/6/91 - CALMA:  how to write a calma tape
  Magic note.23 - 11/4/91 - EXT2xxx:  fix for incorrect resistor extraction
  Magic note.24 - 11/8/91 - EXTRESIS:  fix 0-ohm resistors
  Magic note.25 - 11/15/91 - NEXT:  porting magic to the NeXT machine
  Magic note.26 - 11/21/91 - IRSIM:  fix for hanging :decay command
  Magic note.27 - 12/17/91 - RESIS:  fix for "Attempt to remove node ..." error
  Magic note.28 - 1/28/92 - MAGIC:  anonymous FTP now available
  Magic note.29 - 3/27/92 - PLOT:  support for Versatec 2700
  Magic note.30 - 4/8/92 - PATHS:  Have the ":source" command follow a path
  Magic note.31 - 4/10/92 - MPACK:  Mpack now works with Magic 6.3
  Magic note.32 - 3/13/92 - AED:  Using AED displays with Magic 6.3
  Magic note.33 - 3/13/92 - OPENWINDOWS:  Compilation for OpenWindows/X11
  Magic note.34 - 2/14/92 - OPENWINDOWS:  fix mouse problem

4: What can I use to do good plots from magic/CIF?

  (Thanks to Douglas Yarrington <arri@ee.eng.ohio-state.edu> and Harry
  Langenbacher <harry@neuronz.Jpl.Nasa.Gov>, for feedback here.)

  CIF:

  CIF stands for CalTech Intermediate Form. It's a graphics language which
  can be used to describe integrated circuit layouts.

  cif2ps  version 2 (Gordon W. Ross, MITRE):

  A much better version of cif2ps, extending the code of cif2ps (Marc
  Lesure, Arizona State University) and cifp (Arthur Simoneau, Aerospace
  Corp).  It features command line options for depth and formatting.  Can
  extend one plot over several pages (up to 5 by 5, or 25 pages). By
  default, uses a mixture of postscript gray fill and cross-hatching.
  Options include rotating the image, selecting the hierarchy depth to
  plot, and plotting style customization.  Plots are in B/W only.

  It was posted to comp.sources.misc, and is available by ftp from
  uunet.uu.net(192.48.96.2) as: comp.sources.misc/volume8/cif2ps.Z.

  cifplot:

  Cifplot plots CIF format files on a screen, printer or plotter.  Cifplot
  reads the .cif file, generates a b/w or color raster dump, and sends it
  to the printer.  Plots can be scaled, clipped, or rotated.  Hierarchy
  depth is selectable, as well as the choice of colormap or fill pattern.
  An option exists which will compress raster data to reduce the required
  disk space.  For those plotting to a Versatec plotter, there is also a
  printer filter/driver available called vdmp.

  cifplot (m2c version, from chiang@m2c.org <Rit Chiang>):

  The cifplot program from M2C is not in public domain.  However, we do
  provide P.D. CAD tools to university for a fee of $2500/year to cover our
  cost on distribution, telephone hotline support, documentation and
  tutorials, etc., under our CUME (Clearinghouse for Undergraduate
  Microelectronics Education) program.  This program, in the past, was sub-
  sidized by NSF.

  The cifplot program was modified by M2C to support plotting for B&W
  PostScript and color PostScript printers, besides the versatec plotters.
  We also provide plotting services for people who sent us a cif file.  The
  cost is $20/per 24" color versatec plot for University and $50 for oth-
  ers.

  For more information on the CUME program or the plotting service, please
  send e-mail to hotline@m2c.org.

  oct2ps (available as part of the octtools distribution):

  It is possible to convert your .mag file to octtools, and then you may
  use oct2ps to print it.

  Both cif2ps and oct2ps work well for conversion to postscript.  They do
  look slightly different, so pick your favorite.  Note that cif2ps can be
  converted to adobe encapsulated postscript easily by adding a bounding
  box comment.  oct2ps does convert to color postscript, which can be a
  plus for those of you with color postscript printers.

  Flea:

  Flea ([F]un [L]oveable [E]ngineering [A]rtist) is a program used to plot
  magic and cif design files to various output devices. Parameters are
  passed to flea through the flags and flag data or through .flearc files
  and tech files.  Supports: HP7580 plotter, HP7550 hpgl file output,
  HP7550 plotter lpr output, Postscript file output, Laser Writer lpr out-
  put, Versatec versaplot random output.  Options include: Does line draw-
  ings with crosshatching for postscript, versatec, and hp plotters.  Many
  options (depth, label depth, scale, path, format...)

  Available by ftp from zeus.ee.msstate.edu in pub/flea.tar.Z.

  pplot:

  Can output color PostScript from CIF files. The source is available from:
  tesla.ee.cornell.edu in /pub/cad/pplot.tar.Z. It only generates PS files
  (including color PS), and there's no support for EPS files.  It is lim-
  ited in its support of cif commands.  (Wire, roundflash, and delete are
  not supported.)  It only supports manhattan geometry (Polygons and rota-
  tions may only be in 90 degree multiples.)

  vic:

  Part of the U. of Washington's Northwest Lab, for Integrated Systems Cad
  Tool Release (previously UW/NW VLSI Consortium).  Does postscript and HP
  pen plotters.  Only available as part of the package.

  CIF/Magic -> EPS -> groff/latex

  Currently no prgram here directly generates EPS files.  It is possible to
  add an EPS bounding box (%% BoundingBox: l t b r) to the output from
  these programs to get an EPS file.  Alternatively, ps2eps or ps2epsf may
  be used.

5: What tools are used to layout verification?

  Gemini:

  This is an excellent program that was done by Carl Ebeling.  There is a
  new version that is currently in beta.  This version supports serveral
  different netlist formats.  Devices with any number of terminals are sup-
  ported.  (This could be suitable for use at digital block level LVS, for
  example.)  LVS of mosfet w/l and capacitor values is supported as well.

  Contact:

          Carl Ebeling
          Computer Science Department, FR-35
          University of Washington
          Seattle, WA  98195
          ebeling@cs.washington.edu

  Tanner LVS:

  This is a relatively inexpensive commercial product, see the section on
  Tanner tools.

  Wellchecker:

  (from MUG) ftp venera.isi.edu (128.9.0.32)

  netcmp:

  Part of the caltech tools (see the "Caltech VLSI CAD Tools" section)

6: EDIF data exchange format.

  (From Nigel Whitaker <nigelw@computer-science.manchester.ac.uk>)

  The following are published by the Electronic Industries Association:
  The EDIF Version 2 0 0 Reference Guide (ISBN 0 -7908-0000-4)
  EIA-1 -- Introduction to EDIF (User Guide)
  EIA-2 EDIF Connectivity (User Guide)
  Using EDIF 2 0 0 for Schematic Transfer (TSC Application Note EDIF/P-1)

  and are available from:

  Electronic Industries Association
  Standard Sales Department (Attn: Cecelia Fleming)
  2001 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
  Washington D.C. 20006, USA

  and

  American Technical Publishers
  27--29 Knowl Piece, Wilbury Way, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG4 0SX, UK
  Tel: +44 462 437933

  The University of Manchester publish a set of `Questions and Answers'.
  These are user's technical questions about EDIF answered by the EDIF
  technical committee.  There are currently 5 volumes.

  There is also a University of Manchester Technical Report which presents
  a description of the semantics of EDIF Version 2 0 0.  This includes an
  Information Model of part of EDIF Version 2 0 0 written in EXPRESS.  The
  title of this report (UMCS-6-91) is `Proposal for an Information Model
  for EDIF', by Rachel Lau.

  The Questions and Answers and the technical report are available from:
  Julie Spink
  EDIF Technical Advisory Centre, Depeartment of Computer Science
  University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
  Tel: +44 61 275 6289, FAX: +44 61 275 6280, e-mail: edif-support@cs.man.ac.uk

  EDIF Version 2 9 0 has just been released.  This was originally expected
  to be called EDIF Version 2 1 0 but it is felt that the enhancements and
  changes from the current standard (EDIF Version 2 0 0) are significant
  enough to choose a name for the version that reflects this.

  EDIF Version 2 9 0 is an an Official EIA Interim Standard.  It contains
  many improvements for the handling of connectivity and schematics exclud-
  ing the handling of schematic frames.

  EDIF Version 3 0 0 is due for release in March 1993.  It will consist of
  EDIF Version 2 9 0 enhanced by solutions to the schematic frames
  representation plus some additional capabilities. This version will be
  sumbitted to formal ballot.

  The EDIF Version 2 9 0 Manual is available from the EIA at the above
  address.  An electronic copy of the BNF, together with other EDIF related
  information such as tests files, syntax checkers and EDIF documents can
  be obtained by anonymous ftp from edif.cs.man.ac.uk (130.88.229.234) in
  subdirectories of /pub/edif

  An electonic mailing list is available to people interested in EDIF and
  for EDIF developers/programmers.  Send email to edif-support@cs.man.ac.uk
  to be added.

  New files are being added, as we have time.  If you have any suggestions
  for things which we should put up for FTP, please email us.

  We also need people to contribute example EDIF files, which can be made
  publically available, to our collection, again please email us.

  (email address is:  edif-support@cs.man.ac.uk)

7: What layout examples are available?

  From MUG:

  Analog neural network library of cells, 66-bit Manchester carry-skip
  adder, static ram fabricated at 2-micron, an analog op amp, ftp
  venera.isi.edu (128.9.0.32) Located in pub/mug.

8: How can I get my lsi design fabbed and how much will it cost?

  See section on mosis fabrication services as well.

  (From chiang@m2c.org <Rit Chiang>) M2C can also provide low-cost, low-
  volume prototyping fab services.  The current technology available to the
  public is the  2um NWell single-poly double-metal process.

  For pricing information and fab schedule, please send e-mail to
  hotline@m2c.org.

  (From MUG 20 George Lewicki of Orbit Semiconductor)

  Orbit Semiconductor operates an integrated circuit prototyping service
  that accepts designs each week for all of its processes.  The service is
  available to both U.S. and non-U.S. designers. In- quiries about the
  FORESIGHT prototyping service should be ad- dressed to George Lewicki.
  Designs can now be submitted directly via email.

              Orbit Semiconductor, Inc.
              1215 Bordeaux Drive
              Sunnyvale, CA 94089
              TEL: (408)-744-1800
              FAX: (408)-747-1263
              Email: foresight@orbsemi.com

  (Contributed by Don Bouldin of the University of Tennessee)

  Recently, I contacted several foundries to determine  which  com- panies
  are  interested  in fabricating small to moderate lots of wafers for cus-
  tom CMOS designs.  I believe many of the readers of this  column are
  designers who wish to have fabricated only 1,000 to 20,000 parts per
  year.  There are currently several  prototyp- ing  services  (e.g. MOSIS
  and Orbit) that can produce fewer than 100 parts for about $100 each and
  there are  also  several  foun- dries  which  are willing to produce
  100,000 custom parts for $5- $20 each (depending on the die size and
  yield).  My  purpose  was to  identify  those companies filling the large
  gap between these two services.

  The prices in the table below are a result of averaging the  data sup-
  plied by four foundries.  The raw data varied by more than +/- 40% so the
  information should be used only in the early stages of budgetary  plan-
  ning.   Once  the design specifications are fairly well known, the
  designer should contact one or more foundries  to obtain  specific
  budgetary  quotes.  As the design nears comple- tion, binding quotes can
  then be obtained.

  The following assumptions were made by the foundries:

  All designs will require custom CMOS wafer  fabrication  using  a
  double-metal, single-poly process with a feature size between 2.0 and 1.2
  microns.  The designs may contain some  analog  circuitry and  some  RAM
  so the yield has been calculated pessimistically.  The dies will be pack-
  aged and tested at 1  MHz  using  a  Sentry- type digital tester for 5-10
  seconds per part.  The customer will furnish the test vectors.

          Piece Price includes Wafer Fabrication+Die Packaging+Part Testing
          Size        Package                      Quantity

                                 |1,000 | 5,000 | 10,000 | 20,000  |100,000
          -----------------------------------------------------------------
          2 mm x 2 mm; 84 PLCC:  | $ 27 | $  6  |  $  5  |  $  4   | $  3 |
          5 mm x 5 mm; 84 PLCC:  | $ 31 | $ 12  |  $  8  |  $  7   | $  6 |
          5 mm x 5 mm; 132 PGA:  | $ 49 | $ 30  |  $ 25  |  $ 22   | $ 18 |
          7 mm x 7 mm; 132 PGA:  | $ 65 | $ 44  |  $ 36  |  $ 31   | $ 27 |

          Lithography charges:  $ 20,000 - $ 40,000
          Preferred Formats:  GDS-II or  CIF Tapes
          Additional charges for Second-Poly:  $ 5,000

  (This is from MUG 19, there is also a list of foundries that these prices
  were derived from.  In the interested of saving space, I have ommitted
  the list.  The list is available from MUG's ftp site included in MUG
  newsletter #19.)

9: Mosis fabrication services.

  (From Mosis) Information is available from mosis for pricing and fab
  schedules through an automatic email system:

  Mail to mosis@mosis.edu with the message body as follows:

          REQUEST: INFORMATION
          TOPIC: TOPICS
          REQUEST: END

  for general information and a list of available topics.

  If you need to contact a person at mosis, you may mail to mosis@mosis.edu
  with REQUEST: ATTENTION.

  Also anonymous ftp is available. ftp to ftp.mosis.edu.  This is a dupli-
  cation of all files that are available from the mail server.

  (From MUG 20 Contributed by Don Bouldin of the University of Tennessee)

  Multi-project fabrication of BICMOS designs are already available to
  European universities via CMP and to Canadian universities via the Cana-
  dian Microelectronic Corporation.  However, in the United States, the
  demand for BiCMOS fabrication via MOSIS has not been considered signifi-
  cant.  MOSIS is currently planning to start offering 0.5-micron BiCMOS
  during the first quarter of 1994. This will have a core voltage operation
  of 3.3v and a clock frequency in the range of 220-250Mhz.  MOSIS is
  interested in seeing if a larger demand exists in the community than
  expressed so far.

  If you would like to have BiCMOS available before 1994, please send a
  short note to mosis@mosis.edu (with a copy to bouldin@sun1.engr.utk.edu)
  using the following format.

               REQUEST:  ATTENTION
                          .
                          .
                   your message goes here
                          .
                          .
               REQUEST: END

  (From MUG 20 and Chris Donham of the University of Pennsylvania)

  Support for mosis technologies under Cadence Analog Artist 2.4 is avail-
  able as is from University of Pennsylvania.  This includes DRC, LVS, EXT,
  and a beginner's guide.  Currently they are working on support for Opus
  4.2.  The files supporting Artist 2.4 are currently available via
  anonymous FTP.  Penn is not affiliated with MOSIS, except as a satisfied
  customer, and as a result, NO WARRANTY IS EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED WITH
  REGARDS TO THE FILES, OR THEIR FITNESS FOR ANY USE.  Use the files at
  your own risk.  To obtain the files, FTP to axon.ee.upenn.edu
  (130.91.6.208), using the name "anonymous" and your mailing address as
  the password.  The files are in the "pub" directory.

  Penn is in the process of switching from Artist 2.4 to Opus 4.2.  The
  manual is being rewritten, and the support files are being updated.
  Technology files supporting DRC, Extract, and Compare are currently in
  beta-test.  If problems or bugs are detected, please send email to
  "cadence@axon.ee.upenn.edu".

10: Archive sites for comp.lsi.cad and comp.lsi

  (None of these are comprehensive archives, rather, they have about 3
  postings each)

  comp.lsi.cad:
  cnam.cnam.fr in /pub/Archives/comp.archives/auto/comp.lsi.cad
  cs.dal.ca in /pub/comp.archives/comp.lsi.cad
  srawgw.sra.co.jp in /.a/sranha-bp/arch/arch/comp.archives/auto/comp.lsi.cad

11: Other newsgroups that relate to comp.lsi*

  alt.cad
  comp.cad.cadence
  comp.lang.verilog
  comp.lang.vhdl
  comp.sys.mentor
  sci.electronics

12: Simulation programs tips/tricks/bugs

  Berkeley spice:

  Pspice:

  Hspice:

  If your simulation won't converge for a given DC input, you can ramp the
  input and print the DC operating point and then set the nodes that way
  for future simulations.

  A number of documents are available for information on BSIM model parame-
  ters: (from Mark Johnson, as posted to comp.lsi <mjohnson@netcom.com>)

  1. The very best written description I have seen is in a software manual.
     The good news is that this manual is free; the bad news is that you
     have to buy the multi-thousand-dollar program in order to get the free
     manual.  The program is HSPICE from Meta-Software Inc (Campbell,
     Calif., USA).  The HSPICE User's Manual, chapter 7, gives all the
     details you'd ever want to know regarding BSIM parameters.

  2. The second best description I have seen of BSIM is in, strangely
     enough, a manual for BSIM2 (!).  It is available from the University
     of California at Berkeley.  Telephone (510)-643-6687 and they will
     give you instructions on how to buy the manual.  (They'll probably
     suggest that you might want to buy some software too).

             J.S. Duster, M.C. Jeng, P.K. Ko, and C. Hu, "Users
             Guide for the BSIM2 Parameter Extraction Program and
             the SPICE3 with BSIM Implementation"

  3. You can learn some things about BSIM parameters by reading about pro-
     grams which extract the parameters from measured data.  UC Berkeley
     offers several programs and manuals for this.  The one that I person-
     ally prefer is

             M.C. Jeng, B.J. Sheu, and P.K. Ko: "BSIM Parameter
             Extraction - Algorithms and User's Guide," Memo
             No. UCB/ERL M85/79, 7 October 1985.

  4. Next, look at Sheu's Ph.D. thesis.  He is the guy who combined the
     Bell Labs CSIM model with a bunch of other published equations, and
     formulated BSIM.  It's available from the same phone number.

             B.J. Sheu, "MOS Transistor Modelling and Characterization
             for Circuit Simulation", Memo No. UCB/ERL M85/85,
             26 October 1985

  5. The worst description (in +my+ opinion of course) is unfortunately in
     the most-accessible publication.  To save space in the journal they
     left out some parameter discussions and (again in my opinion) produced
     a disjointed, not-fully- informative paper.  Others may have different
     views, naturally.

             B.J. Sheu, D.L. Scharfetter, P-K Ko, M-C Jeng, "BSIM:
             Berkeley Short-Channel IGFET Model for MOS Transistors,"
             IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, Vol SC-22, No. 4,
             August 1987, pp. 558-565.

13: Getting the latest version of the FAQ:

  Mail to clcfaq@eecs.ucdavis.edu with the subject "send faq".

  If you wish to be added to the FAQ mailing list, send a note to
  clcfaq@eecs.ucdavis.edu with subject heading 'Subscribe'. You will then
  have the FAQ regularly emailed to the return address of the note. Like-
  wise, use the subject heading 'Unsubscribe' to be removed from the list.

  This FAQ is now cross-posted to news.answers. This newsgroup is archived
  periodically on pit-manager.mit.edu [18.172.1.27].  Postings are located
  in the anonymous ftp directory /pub/usenet/news.answers, and are archived
  as "lsi-cad-faq/part1" and "lsi-cad-faq/part2".

14: Converting from/to GDSII/CIF/Magic

  Magic version 6.3 is capable of reading and writting to all three for-
  mats.  (From the magic man page):

  calma [option] [args]

  This command is used to read and write files in Calma GDS II Stream for-
  mat (version 3.0, corresponding to GDS II Release 5.1).  This format is
  like CIF, in that it describes physical mask layers instead of Magic
  layers.  In fact, the technology file specifies a correspondence between
  CIF and Calma layers.  The current CIF out- put style (see cif ostyle)
  controls how Calma stream layers are generated from Magic layers.

  cif [option] [args]

  Read or write files in Caltech Intermediate Form (CIF).

15: CFI (CAD Framework Initiative Inc.)

  (From Randy Kirchhof <rkk@cfi.org>)

  For those of you who may be unfamiliar with our work, The CAD Framework
  Initiative Inc. was formed in May 1988. We're located in Austin, TX,
  although we're a distributed company. We're a  not-for- profit consortium
  formed under the laws of the state of Delaware.  Our charter is to gain
  consensus from industry users, the academic community, and vendors, to
  develop guidelines for an industry acceptable CAD framework implementa-
  tion.

  A CAD framework is a software infrastructure which provides a common
  operating environment for CAD tools.  Through a framework, a user should
  be able to launch and manage tools, create, organize, and manage data,
  graphically view the entire design process and perform design management
  tasks such as configuration management, version management, etc.

  CFI is well into the final stages prior to release 1.0. We recently
  returned from the DAC convention in Anaheim, where there was an extraor-
  dinary amount of interest shown in our Pilot project demonstrations. We
  were able to demonstrate robust, working CFI-compliant software from a
  large number of member companies.  Cooperation in our ongoing effort has
  been very good from our outset.

  Also, please be aware that CFI has virtually all of our working documents
  online, available via anonymous FTP to cfi.org. (192.138.153.1) There is
  also an e-mailserver. Send an empty message to cfi-server@cfi.org. The
  mail server & FTP use the same directory.

  CFI Release 1.0 is on schedule, up for final ballot in October and will
  be formally released in December of this year. Many vendors will ini-
  tially release CFI compliant software as early as 2Q 1993.  16: What syn-
  thesis systems are there?

  Thanks to Simon Leung <sleung@sun1.atitech.ca>, Michel Berkelaar
  <michel@ele.tue.nl>, Noritake Yonezawa <yonezawa@cs.uiuc.edu>, Donald A
  Lobo <lobo@guardian.cs.psu.edu>, Greg Ward <gregw@bnr.ca>, Peter Duzy,
  Robert Walker <walkerb@turing.cs.rpi.edu>

  ADPS

  - Case Western Reserve University, USA
  - scheduling and data path allocation
  - Papachristou, C.A. et al.: "A Linear Program Driven Scheduling and
    Allocation Method Followed by an Interconnect Optimization Algorithm",
    Proc. of the 27th DAC, pp. 77-83, June 1990.

  ALPS/LYRA/ARYL
  - Tsing Hua University
  - scheduling and data path allocation
  - Lee, J-H: et al.: "A New Integer Linear Programming Formulation of
    the Scheduling Problem in Data Path Synthesis", Proc. of ICCAD89, pp.
    20-23, November 1989.

  BDSYN
  - University of California, Berkeley, USA
  - FSM synthesis from DECSIM language for multilevel combination-logic
    realization
  - Brayton, R.: "Multiple-level Logic Optimization System",  Proc. of IEEE
    ICCAD, Santa Clara, Nov. 1986

  BECOME
  - AT & T Bell Labs, USA
  - FSM synthesis from C-like language for PLA, PLD and standard cell realization
  - Wei, R-S.: "BECOME: Behavior Level Circuit Synthesis Based on Structure
    Mapping", Proc. of 25th ACM/IEEE Design Automation Conference, pp. 409-414,
    IEEE, 1988

  BOLD
  - logic optimization
  - Bartlett, K. "Synthesis and Optimization of Multilevel Logic Under Timing
    Constraints", IEEE Transactions on Computer-Aided Design, Vol 5, No 10,
    October 1986

  BRIDGE
  - AT & T Bell Labs, USA
  - High-level synthesis FDL2-language descriptions
  - Tseng: "Bridge: A Versatile Behavioral Synthesis System", Proc. of 25th
    ACM/IEEE Design Automation Conference, pp. 415-420, IEEE, 1988

  CADDY
  - Karlsruhe University, Germany
  - behavioral synthesis from DSL-language, based on data-flow analysis
  - Camposano, R.: "Synthesing Circuits From Behavioral Descriptions", IEEE
    Transactions on Computer-Aided Design, Vol. 8, No. 2, February 1989

  CALLAS
  - Siemens, Germany
  - highlevel, algortihmic and logic synthesis (contains CADDY, see
    above)
  - Koster, M. et al.: "ASIC Design Using the High-Level Synthesis
    System CALLAS: A Case Study", Proc. IEEE International Conference on
    Computer Design (ICCD '90), pp. 141-146, Cambridge, Massachusetts,
    Sept. 17-19, 1990

  CAMAD
  - Linkoping University, Sweden
  - scheduling, data path allocation and iteration from a Pascal subset
  - Peng, Z.: "CAMAD: A Unified Data Path/ Control Synthesis
    Environment", Proc. of the IFIP Working Conference on Design
    Methodologies for VLSI and Computer Architecture, pp. 53-67, Sept.
    1988.

  CARLOS
  - Karlsruhe University, Germany
  - multilevel logic optimization for CMOS realizations
  - Mathony, H-J.: "CARLOS: An Automated Multilevel Logic Design System for
    CMOS Semi-Custom Integrated Circuits", IEEE Transactions on Computer-Aided
    Design, Vol 7, No 3, pp. 346-355, March 1988

  CATHEDRAL
  - Univ. of Leuve, Phillips and Siemens, Belgium
  - synthesis of DSP-circuits from algorithm descriptions
  - De Man, H.: "Architecture-Driven Synthesis Techiques for VLSI Implementation
    of DSP Algorithms", Proceedings of the IEEE, Vol. 78, NO. 2, pp. 319,
    February 1990

  CATREE
  - Univ. of Waterloo, Canada
  - scheduling and data path allocation
  - Gebotys, C.H.: "VLSI Design Synthesis with Testability", Proc. of
    the 25th DAC, pp. 16-21, June 1988

  CHARM
  - AT & T Bell Labs., USA
  - data-path synthesis
  - Woo, N-S.: "A Global, Dynamic Register Allocation and Binding for a
    Data Path Synthesis System", Proc. of the 27th DAC, pp. 505-510, June 1990.

  CMU-DA (2)
  - Carnagie-Mellon University, USA
  - behavioral synthesis from ISPS
  - Thomas, D.: "Linking the Behavioral and Structural Domains of Representation
    for Digital System Design", IEEE Transactions on Computer-Aided Design, pp.
    103-110, Vol. 6, No. 1, January 1987

  CONES
  - AT & T Bell Labs, USA
  - FSM synthesis, produces 2-level logic realizations (truth-table)
  - Stroud, C.E.: "CONES: A System for Automated Synthesis of VLSI and
    programmable logic from behavioral models", Proc. of IEEE ICCAD, Santa Clara,
    Nov. 1986.

  DAGAR
  - University of Texas, Austin, USA.
  - scheduling and data-path allocation
  - Raj. V.K.: "DAGAR: An Automatic Pipelined Microarchitecture
    Synthesis System", Proc. of ICCD '89, pp. 428-431, October 1989.

  DELHI
  - IIT
  - design iteration, scheduling and data path allocation
  - Balakrishnan, M. et al.: "Integrated Scheduling and Binding: A
    Synthesis Approach for Design Space Exploration", Proc. of the 26th
    DAC, pp. 68-74, June 1989

  DESIGN AUTOMATION ASSISTANT (DAA)
  - AT & T Bell Labs, USA
  - expert system for data path synthesis
  - Kowalski, T.J. "The VLSI Desig Automation Assistant: An Architecture
    Compiler", Silicon Compilation, pp. 122-152, Addison-Wesley, 1988

  ELF
  - Carleton University, Canada
  - scheduling and data path allocation
  - Girczyc, E.F. et al.: "Applicability of a Subset of Ada as an
    Algorithmic Hardware Description Language for Graph-Based Hardware
    Compilation", IEEE Trans. on CAD, pp. 134-142, April 1985.

  EUCLID
  - Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands
  - logic synthesis
  - Berkelaar, Michel R.C.M. and Theeuwen, J.F.M., "Real Area-Powe-Delay
    Trade-off in the EUCLID Logic Synthesis System" , proceedings of the Custom
    Integrated Circuits Conference 1990, Boston MA USA, pp 14.3.1 ff

  EXLOG
  - NEC Corporation, Japan
  - expert system, synthesizes gate level circuits from FDL descriptions
  - M. Watanabe, et al.,: "EXLOG: An Expert System for Logic Synthesis in
    Full-Custom VLSI Design", Proc. of 2nd Int. Conf. Application of Artificial
    Intelligence, August 1987.

  FACE/PISYN
  - General Electric, USA
  - FACE: high-level synthesis tools and a tool framework, PISYN:
    synthesis of pipelined architecture DSP systems (mostly)
  - Smith, W.D. et al.: "FACE Core Environment: The Model and it's
    Application in CAE/CAD Tool Development", Proc. of the 26th DAC, pp.
    466-471, June 1989.

  FLAMEL
  - Stanford University, USA
  - data path and control-logic synthesis from Pascal description
  - Trickey, H. "Flamel: A High-Level Hardware Compiler", IEEE Transactions
    on Computer-Aided Design, Vol 6, No 2, March 1987.

  HAL
  - Carleton University, Canada
  - data path synthesis
  - Paulin, P.: "Force-Directed Scheduling for the Behavioral Synthesis of
    ASIC's", IEEE Transaction on Computer-Aided Design, pp. 661,
    Vol. 8, No. 6, June 1989.

  HARP
  - NTT, Japan
  - scheduling and data path-allocation from FORTRAN
  - Tanaka, T. et al.: "HARP: Fortran to Silicon", IEEE Trans. on CAD,
    pp. 649-660, June 1989.

  HYPER
  - UCB, USA
  - synthesis for realtime applications (scheduling, allocation, module
    binding, controller design)
  - Chu, C-M. et al.: "HYPER: An Interactive Synthesis Environment for
    Real Time Applications", Proc. of ICCD '89, pp. 432-435, October 1989

  IMBSL/RLEXT
  - Univ. of Illinois, USA
  - data-path allocation, RTL-level design
  - Knapp D.W.: "Manual Rescheduling and Incremental Repair of Register
    Level Data Paths", Proc. of ICCAD '89, pp.58-61, November 1989.

  LSS (Logic Synthesis System)
  - IBM, USA
  - logic synthesis and optimization from many RTL-languages
  - Darringer, J. et al. "LSS: A System for Production Logic Synthesis",
    IBM Journal of Research and Developement, vol. 28, No. 5, pp. 272-280,
    Sept 1984.

  MAHA
  - University of Southern California, USA
  - data path synthesis
  - Parker, A.C. "MAHA: A Program for Data Path Synthesis", Proc. 23rd ACM/IEEE
    Design Automation Conference, pp. 252-258, IEEE 1986.

  MIMOLA
  - University of Dortmund, Germany
  - scheduling, data-path allocation and controller design
  - Marwedel, P. "Matching System And Component Behavior in MIMOLA
    Synthesis Tools", Proc. of EDAC '90, pp. 146-156, March 1990.

  MIS (II/MV)
  - University of California, Berkeley, USA
  - multilevel/multivalued  logic optimization
  - Brayton, R.K. "MIS: A Multiple-Level Logic Optimatization System",
    IEEE Transactions on Computer-Aided Design, Vol. 6, No. 6, November 1987.
    pp. 1062-1081

  OLYMPUS/HERCULES
  - Stanford University, USA
  - behavioral synthesis from C-language (HERCULES), logic and physical
    synthesis
  - De Micheli, G.: "HERCULES - A System for High-Level Synthesis", Proceedings
    of the 25th ACM/IEEE Design Automation Conference, pp. 483-488, IEEE 1988

  SEHWA
  - University of Southern California, USA
Xref: sparky comp.lsi:770 comp.lsi.cad:1280 news.answers:5147