September 2001 - Layout Viewer LAVIS formally rolled out

TOOL CORPORATION formally rolls out the TOOL-developed Layout Viewer LAVIS. Being a layout viewer compatible with multiple formats, LAVIS displays large-sized LSI layout data at ultra-high speeds. The layout viewer offers uniform layout data display and measurement functions in multiple design environments and design phases.

Background of development

LSI designs miniaturize at an ever-increasing speed on a yearly basis, while design data remarkably expands. The trend will further expand over the coming years. In layout design and mask development processes, frequent display of layout graphics on the screen necessitates an excessive amount of time to read and display data that is ever larger in size, thus resulting in substantially decreasing work efficiency.

Based on many years of experience in the development of EDA tools for LSI design, TOOL CORPORATION has provided an ultra-high-speed and highly efficiency viewer (LAVIS) by sign development sites and through thorough tuning of programs at the time of LSI mounting.effectively utilizing layout data characteristics and methods of display operations at de

Targets of development

Targets of LAVIS development were:
(1) Providing practical high speeds
(2) Proving a common display of processes after layout design and higher availability in individual processes.

The achievement of the first target above involved not only simply abbreviating the display of miniaturized portions but displaying pre-patterned images and copying and displaying repeated portions. Optimum use of data characteristics has led to a providing displays at higher speeds of LSI layout data with data visibility maintained. Layout files begin to exceed a size of 2G bytes. Prevailing methods of storing all data in the memory cause not only an inefficient use of memory resources but also an unwanted reduction in high speed feature. The layout viewer LAVIS therefore employs a method for referencing a disc whenever displaying data and minimizes acces to the disk, thus providing both high speeds and memory savings.

The achievement of the second target mentioned above involved separating the display part from the data input part and using plug-in methods for data interfaces. This has provided compatibility with multiple formats and multiple and superimpose display of data in varied formats.

Use of benchmarks at the beta site has provided speeds a few to scores of times those of existing, currently available display software products and LAVIS's compatibility with multiple formats has received high appraisal in terms of its functions.

Development by TOOL CORPORATION

LAVIS is not simply a high-speed, high-efficiency viewer but also designed to be compatible with a variety of data formats. The layout viewer is ranked as a viewer common to all phases ranging from EDA tools to units involved in LSI layout processes from design to production.
Development of LAVIS-related projects will therefore involve actively hiring mask makers, imaging device makers, and inspection unit makers besides LSI makers. We have already distributed the evaluation version of LAVIS to not only individual leading domestic EDA tool vendors but also their overseas counterparts so that each may make an investigation employ, study, and appraise LAVIS as a viewer of its EDA tool.

Use of the viewer as a man-machine interface common to tools and units will provide a very significant advantage to users and their suppliers. The field of soft tools for computers, particularly semiconductor-related soft tools, has taken the U.S. completely by storm. We would like very much to target establishing a world standard soft tool coming from Japan.