Process and apparatus for adjusting traces

• US 8,015,536 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2008
• Issued: 09/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: FormFactor Incorporated
• Original Assignee: FormFactor Incorporated
• Inventors: Stevens, Mac
• Primary Examiner(s): Lin; Sun J
• Application Number:
  US12/259,779
• Publication Number:
  US 20090055791A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,043 Days
• Field of Search: 716/126, 716/128, 716/129, 716/130
• US Class Current: 716/130
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/394 Routing G06F30/396 takes precedence

Abstract

Traces routed through a computer depiction of a routing area of an electronics system comprise a plurality of connected nodes. Forces are assigned to the nodes, and the nodes are moved in accordance with the forces. The forces may be based on such things as the proximity of the nodes to each other and to obstacles in the routing area. This tends to smooth, straighten and/or shorten the traces, and may also tend to correct design rule violations.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented process for adjusting component interconnection traces in a computer depiction of an electronics apparatus, said process comprising:

providing to a computer a computer readable depiction of a routing space of an electronics apparatus, said depiction comprising obstacles corresponding to areas of said electronics apparatus through which electrical connections are not permitted;

generating with said computer a plurality of traces within said depiction of said routing space without regard to said obstacles, wherein said plurality of traces are representative of electrical connections within said electronics apparatus; and

adjusting with said computer said plurality of traces within said depiction of said routing space with respect to said obstacles to move at least one of said plurality of traces so that said at least one of said plurality of traces does not overlay said obstacles to form a design for said electronics apparatus, said design comprising electrical interconnections corresponding to said plurality of traces within said routing space.

2. The process of claim 1, further comprising providing from said computer said design for said electronics apparatus.

3. The process of claim 1, further comprising manufacturing said electronics apparatus using said design for said electronics apparatus.

4. The process of claim 1, wherein said adjusting comprises:

defining each of said plurality of traces as a plurality of connections between nodes corresponding to said each trace;

assigning a force to each overlaid node, wherein an overlaid node is a node that lies over an overlain one of said obstacles; and

moving said each overlaid node according to said force assigned thereto.

5. The process of claim 4, wherein a magnitude of said force is a predefined quantity.

6. The process of claim 4, wherein a magnitude of said force is one of a plurality of predefined quantities, wherein each one of said plurality of predefined quantities is associated with one of said obstacles.

7. The process of claim 4, wherein a magnitude of said force varies depending on a location of said overlaid node within said overlain obstacle.

8. The process of claim 4, wherein a direction of said force is from a center of said overlain obstacle toward said overlaid node.

9. The process of claim 4, wherein a direction of said force is from a centroid of said overlain obstacle toward said overlaid node.

10. The process of claim 4, wherein a direction of said force is perpendicular to an edge of said overlain obstacle.

11. The process of claim 4, wherein a direction of said force is in a direction that bisects an angle formed by a corner of said overlain obstacle.

12. The process of claim 4, wherein a direction of said force is in a predefined direction relative to an edge of said overlain obstacle.

13. The process of claim 4, further comprising assigning forces to nodes tending to attract adjacent nodes of a trace towards each other.

14. The process of claim 4 further comprising:

defining a plurality of zones, each one of said plurality of zones being defined around a corresponding one of said obstacles; and

assigning a second force to each zone-overlaid node that lies within an overlain one of said zones, wherein said moving is also performed according to said second force.

15. The process of claim 14 wherein:

a magnitude of said second force is based on a distance of said each zone-overlaid node from an obstacle corresponding to said overlain zone; and

a direction of said second force is from said obstacle corresponding to said overlain zone toward said zone-overlaid node.

16. The process of claim 4, further comprising repeating said assigning a force and said moving each overlaid node until meeting a predefined event.

17. The process of claim 16, wherein said predefined event is any of:

a predefined number of iterations have occurred, a predefined time has elapsed, and a design rule check is passed.

18. A computer program product, comprising a non-transistory computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, said computer readable program code being readable by a computer to cause said computer to execute a process for adjusting component interconnection traces in a computer depiction of an electronics apparatus, the process comprising:

providing a system, wherein said system comprises distinct software modules, and wherein said distinct software modules comprise an input module, a force assignment module, and a node adjustment module;

defining a routing space of an electronics apparatus, said routing space comprising obstacles corresponding to areas within said electronic apparatus through which electrical connections are not permitted and a plurality of traces defined by corresponding nodes representative of electrical connections within said electronics apparatus, wherein at least one of said nodes is an overlaid node that overlays an overlain one of said obstacles, and wherein said defining is performed by said input module in response to receiving parameters associated with said electronics apparatus by said computer;

assigning a force to each of said overlaid nodes, wherein said assigning is performed by said force assignment module in response to said input module; and

moving each of said overlaid nodes according to said force assigned thereto, wherein said moving is performed by said node adjustment module in response to said force assignment module.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein a magnitude of said force is any one of:

a predefined quantity and one of a plurality of predefined quantities wherein each one of said plurality of predefined quantities is associated with a corresponding one of said obstacles.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein a magnitude of said force varies depending on a location of said overlaid node relative to said overlain obstacle.

21. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein a direction of said force is any one of:

from a center of said overlain obstacle through said overlaid node, from a centroid of said overlain obstacle through said overlaid node, perpendicular to an edge of said overlain obstacle;

in a direction that bisects an angle formed by a corner of said overlain obstacle; and

in a predefined direction relative to an edge of said overlain obstacle.

22. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein said process further comprises assigning forces to nodes tending to attract adjacent nodes of a trace towards each other.

23. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein said process further comprises:

defining a plurality of zones, each one of said plurality of zones being defined around a corresponding one of said obstacles, wherein said defining a plurality of zones is performed by said input module; and

assigning a second force to each zone-overlaid node that overlays an overlain one of said plurality of zones, wherein said assigning a second force is performed by said force assignment module.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein:

a magnitude of said second force is based on a distance of said zone-overlaid node from an obstacle corresponding to said overlain zone; and

a direction of said second force is based on a direction from said obstacle corresponding to said overlain zone toward said zone-overlaid node.

25. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein said process further comprises repeating said assigning and said moving until meeting a predefined event, wherein said predefined event is any one of:

a predefined number of iterations have occurred, a predefined time has elapsed, and a design rule check is passed.