Three-dimensional viewing and editing of microcircuit design

• US 20060076547A1
• Filed: 09/26/2005
• Published: 04/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mentor Graphics Corporation (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Mentor Graphics Corporation (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Lin, Yan, Imamura, Tsubomi
• Application Number:
  US11/236,424
• Publication Number:
  US 20060076547A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/39 Circuit design at the physical level physical level design for reconfigurable circuits G06F30/347

Abstract

An editing tool that provides a user interface for displaying and editing a representation of a microcircuit design. More particularly, the user interface displays a three dimensional representation of a second portion of the circuit design. A user can then select and edit a structure employing the three-dimensional representation of the structure in the user interface.

Claims

1. A method for displaying a design for a microcircuit, comprising:

receiving at least a portion of a microcircuit design; and

rendering a three-dimensional representation of the at least a portion of the microcircuit design.

2. The method for displaying a design for a microcircuit recited in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an entire microcircuit design; and

receiving design selection input selecting the at least a portion of the microcircuit design.

3. The method for displaying a design for a microcircuit recited in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving structure selection input selecting a structure described in the at least a portion of the microcircuit design; and

indicating selection of the selected structure in the rendered three-dimensional representation of the at least a portion of the microcircuit design.

4. The method for displaying a design for a microcircuit recited in claim 3, further comprising:

receiving edit selection input defining changes to be made to the selected structure

editing the rendered three-dimensional representation of the at least a portion of the microcircuit design to incorporate the changes defined in the edit selection input.

5. The method for displaying a design for a microcircuit recited in claim 3, further comprising:

receiving at least a portion the structure selection input as pointer position input in the rendered three-dimensional representation of the at least a portion of the microcircuit design; and

cross-referencing the pointer position input with- the rendered three-dimensional representation of the at least a portion of the microcircuit design to determine the structure in the selected section of the microcircuit design to be selected.

6. The method for displaying a design for a microcircuit recited in claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a violation of a design rule in the at least a portion of the microcircuit design; and

rendering a marker in the rendered three-dimensional representation of the at least a portion of the microcircuit design corresponding to the identified design rule violation.

7. A microcircuit design tool, comprising:

a memory containing a microcircuit design; and

a three-dimensional rendering module that renders a three-dimensional representation of at least a portion of the microcircuit design.

8. The microcircuit design tool recited in claim 7, further comprising a design edit module that

receives structure selection input selecting a structure described in the at least a portion of the microcircuit design;

and

provides the selected structure to the three-dimensional rendering module for rendering an indicator identifying the selected structure in the rendering of the three-dimensional representation of the at least a portion of the microcircuit design.

9. The microcircuit design tool recited in claim 8, wherein the design edit module

receives edit selection input defining changes to the selected structure;

and

provides the defined changes to the three-dimensional rendering module for incorporation into the rendering of the three-dimensional representation of the at least a portion of the microcircuit design.

10. The microcircuit design tool recited in claim 8, wherein the design edit module

receives at least a portion the structure selection input as pointer position input in the rendering of three-dimensional representation of the at least a portion of the microcircuit design;

and

cross-references the pointer position input with the rendering of the three-dimensional representation of the selected section of the microcircuit design to determine a structure in the selected section of the microcircuit design to be selected.

11. The microcircuit design tool recited in claim 7, further comprising:

a violation identification module that identifies a violation of a design rule in the at least a portion of the microcircuit design; and

wherein the three-dimensional rendering module renders a marker in the rendering of the a three-dimensional representation of the at least a portion of the microcircuit design corresponding to the identified design rule violation.

12. A method of correcting a flaw in an integrated circuit design, comprising:

selecting an integrated circuit design;

displaying a three-dimensional representation of at least a portion of an integrated circuit design;

viewing the three-dimensional representation of the at least a portion of the integrated circuit design to identify at least one flaw in the at least a portion of the integrated circuit design; and

correcting the identified at least one flaw in the integrated circuit design to produce a corrected integrated circuit design.

13. The method of correcting a flaw in an integrated circuit design recited in claim 12, wherein the flaw is an omission of a structure from the integrated circuit design.

14. The method of correcting a flaw in an integrated circuit design recited in claim 12, wherein the flaw is a redundant structure in the integrated circuit design.

15. The method of correcting a flaw in an integrated circuit design recited in claim 12, wherein the flaw is a design rule violation.

16. The method of correcting a flaw in an integrated circuit design recited in claim 12, further comprising manufacturing an integrated circuit from the corrected integrated circuit design.

17. A corrected integrated circuit design produced using the method of correcting a flaw in an integrated circuit design recited in claim 12.

18. A method for displaying a design for a microcircuit, comprising:

receiving first design selection input selecting at least a portion of a microcircuit design;

rendering a two-dimensional representation of the selected portion of the microcircuit design;

receiving second design selection input selecting a section of the microcircuit design within the selected portion of the microcircuit design;

in response to receiving the second selection input, rendering a three-dimensional representation of the selected section of the microcircuit design.

19. The method for displaying a design for a microcircuit recited in claim 18, wherein the first selection input and the second selection input are the same input.

20. The method for displaying a design for a microcircuit recited in claim 18, further comprising:

receiving structure selection input selecting a structure described in the selected section of the microcircuit design;

receiving edit selection input defining changes to the selected structure;

rendering a new two-dimensional representation of the selected portion of the microcircuit design incorporating the changes defined in the edit selection input; and

rendering a new three-dimensional representation of the selected section of the microcircuit design incorporating the changes defined in the edit selection input.

21. The method for displaying a design for a microcircuit recited in claim 20, further comprising editing the selected section of the microcircuit design to incorporate the changes defined in the edit selection input.

22. The method for displaying a design for a microcircuit recited in claim 20, further comprising:

receiving at least a portion the structure selection input as pointer position input in the two-dimensional representation of the selected section of the microcircuit design; and

cross-referencing the pointer position input with the rendering of the two-dimensional representation of the selected section of the microcircuit design to determine a structure in the selected section of the microcircuit design to be selected.

23. The method for displaying a design for a microcircuit recited in claim 20, further comprising:

receiving at least a portion the structure selection input as pointer position input in the three-dimensional representation of the selected section of the microcircuit design; and

cross-referencing the pointer position input with the rendering of the three-dimensional representation of the selected section of the microcircuit design to determine a structure in the selected section of the microcircuit design to be selected.

24. The method for displaying a design for a microcircuit recited in claim 18, further comprising:

identifying a violation of a design rule in the selected section of the microcircuit design; and

rendering a marker in the three-dimensional representation of the selected section of the microcircuit design corresponding to the identified design rule violation.

25. A microcircuit design tool, comprising:

a memory containing a microcircuit design;

a two-dimensional rendering module that renders a two-dimensional representation of at least a portion of the microcircuit design; and

a three-dimensional rendering module that renders a three-dimensional representation of a section of the microcircuit design within the portion of the microcircuit design.

26. The microcircuit design tool recited in claim 25, further comprising a design edit module that

receives structure selection input selecting a structure described in the selected section of the microcircuit design;

receives edit selection input defining changes to the selected structure;

provides the defined changes to the two-dimensional rendering module for incorporation into a two-dimensional representation of the portion of the microcircuit design; and

provides the defined changes to the three-dimensional rendering module for incorporation into a three-dimensional representation of the section of the microcircuit design.

27. The microcircuit design tool recited in claim 26, wherein the design edit module

receives at least a portion the structure selection input as pointer position input in the two-dimensional representation of the selected section of the microcircuit design;

and

cross-references the pointer position input with the rendering of the two-dimensional representation of the selected section of the microcircuit design to determine a structure in the selected section of the microcircuit design to be selected.

28. The microcircuit design tool recited in claim 26, wherein the design edit module

receives at least a portion the structure selection input as pointer position input in the three-dimensional representation of the selected section of the microcircuit design;

and

cross-references the pointer position input with the rendering of the three-dimensional representation of the selected section of the microcircuit design to determine a structure in the selected section of the microcircuit design to be selected.

29. The microcircuit design tool recited in claim 25, further comprising:

a violation identification module that identifies a violation of a design rule in the selected section of the microcircuit design; and

wherein the three-dimensional rendering module renders a marker in a three-dimensional representation of the selected section of the microcircuit design corresponding to the identified design rule violation.