JP2000259693A - Design data creation device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To shorten the development manhour of a design data generation part for a design data preparation device to be used for preparing design data for a semiconductor memory, other semiconductor macro-modules or the like as compared with a conventional device. SOLUTION: The device is provided with a GAL library 201 storing a specification describing language for describing the specification of a semiconductor circuit, a parser 204 for acquiring the specification 203 of the semiconductor circuit, referring to the GAL library 201 and preparing an intermediate file 205 in which the acquired specification is described by the specification describing language, an EDA data preparing library 202 storing a language for preparing design data corresponding to EDA, and a library generation program 206 referring to the library 202 and converting the intermediate file 205 into design data (EDA library 207) satisfying the specification 203 acquired by the parser 204.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a design data creating apparatus used for creating design data of, for example, a semiconductor memory or another semiconductor macro module.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, improvement in the degree of integration of LSI and CA
The development of D devices has made it possible to design LSIs including large-scale memory circuits and other large-scale macro modules. A device that generates design data of a macro module such as a memory circuit is called a module generator. When the specifications of the module, such as a bit width and the number of words for a memory circuit, are input to the module generator, The module generator performs an operation including calculation of a characteristic value (for example, a delay value) according to the input specifications, and finally generates design data such as layout data and a netlist necessary for a design flow. .

[0003]

However, the required design data and its data format are EDA (Electron).
ic Design Automation), so in the module generator:
It is necessary to develop the part that generates the design data specifically for each type of EDA, and to respond to changes in the specifications of memory circuits and other macro modules, addition of types, introduction of new EDA, etc. At present, many man-hours are required.

For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 6-139298 proposes a specific method for selecting the optimal use of a memory based on input specifications. Is only conceptually described with respect to the layout data creation procedure and the specification determination procedure, and a large amount of data is added or changed due to the different design data formats required for each type of conventional EDA. No proposal has been made to improve the need for man-hours.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a design data creation apparatus capable of reducing the number of development steps of a design data generation part as compared with the conventional one.

[0006]

According to the present invention, there is provided a design data creating apparatus comprising: a first library for storing a specification description language for describing specifications of a semiconductor circuit; And an intermediate file generation unit for generating an intermediate file in which the obtained specifications are described in a specification description language with reference to the first library, and a design data generation language corresponding to EDA are stored. A second library; and an EDA-compatible data generation unit that converts the intermediate file into EDA design data that satisfies the acquired semiconductor circuit specifications with reference to the second library. The design data creation device of the present invention separates a specification description language for writing specifications (specifications) from an intermediate file creation unit that creates an intermediate file based on the specifications (specifications). When adding or changing a module, it is only necessary to prepare a specification description language corresponding to the memory circuit or macro module, and even if a memory circuit or other macro module is added or changed, the intermediate file generation unit remains unchanged Can be used. That is, conventionally, the part corresponding to the specification description language in the present invention and the part corresponding to the intermediate file generation unit were mixed together, so it was necessary to develop the entire part corresponding to both of them.
In the present invention, since a part that needs to be prepared when a memory circuit or another macro module is added or changed (specification description language) and a part that does not need to be changed (an intermediate file generation unit) are divided, an intermediate file is generated. The unit can be used as it is, and the man-hour required to deal with the addition or change of the memory circuit or other macro module is greatly reduced.

[0007] Further, the design data creating apparatus of the present invention is provided with:
A second library for storing a language for creating design data corresponding to the DA, and referring to the second library, converting the intermediate file into an E that satisfies the acquired semiconductor circuit specifications.
Since the EDA-compatible data generation unit that converts the design data into DA-compatible design data is separated, when the type of EDA is newly increased, the EDA data generation unit corresponding to the increased EDA can be used as it is. That is, since the conventional language for creating EDA data and the EDA data generation unit were mixed together, it was necessary to develop the entire parts corresponding to both of them, but in the present invention, the type of EDA is newly added. Only the language for creating EDA data needs to be prepared at this time, and the EDA data generation unit can be used as it is without any change, thereby greatly reducing the number of development steps.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a design data creating apparatus according to the present invention in the form of a processing flow.

The design data creation device of the present embodiment is configured as a computer system and a design data creation program executed in the computer system. A storage device such as a hard disk in the computer system includes a memory circuit and A specification description language (here, GAL (Generator Assembly)) for describing the specifications of the corresponding memory circuit and other macro assemblies corresponding to each of the other macro assemblies.
GAL library 201 which describes (BLY language)), and each EDA corresponding to each type of EDA.
And a second library 202 for storing languages for creating design data corresponding to.

For example, when a specification 203 such as a bit width and the number of words of a memory circuit is inputted by operating a keyboard or a mouse, or from a floppy disk or a CD-ROM, a parser 204 (an intermediate file according to the present invention) is input. A program called an example of a generation unit) operates, the parser 204 fetches the specifications 203, refers to the GAL library 201, and stores the fetched specifications 203 in a GAL (specification description language) stored in the GAL library 201. Creates the intermediate file 205 described in.

When the intermediate file 205 is created,
Next, the library generation program 206 (E in the present invention)
An example of the DA corresponding data generation unit) is executed. The library creation program 206 creates an EDA library 207 including design data corresponding to the EDA from the intermediate file 205 with reference to the EDA data creation library 202. The design data constituting the EDA library 207 satisfies the specifications 203 loaded into the parser 204 and is EDA-compliant design data corresponding to the referenced EDA data creation library 202.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a method for dealing with an increase in the number of macro assemblies such as memory circuits in the design data creating apparatus shown in FIG.

Here, a GAL library 201a for a memory circuit called "memory 1" already exists, and the GAL library 201a for "memory 1"
It is assumed that the intermediate file 205a for “memory 1” can be created with reference to FIG. Here, "memory 2"
Is added, a GAL library 201b for the "memory 2" is created. This may be created by the operator of the design data creating apparatus, but a hardware engineer who has developed “Memory 2” will be given a GAL library 201 for “Memory 2”.
The creation of b may be entrusted. When the specification for “memory 2” is input, the parser 204
Refer to the GAL library 201b for "memory 2"
Create an intermediate file 205b for use.

That is, the parser 204 has a format in which information necessary for generating an intermediate file is not stored in the parser, but is held externally as a GAL library. Therefore, when a new macro module called "memory 2" is added, it is only necessary to prepare the GAL library 201b corresponding to the "memory 2", and the parser 204 (program) can be used without any change. Can be. That is, there is no need to newly develop a parser (program), and the number of steps involved in adding the “memory 2” is greatly reduced.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a method of coping with an increase in the number of EDA types in the design data creating apparatus shown in FIG.

The library generation program 206 does not have information necessary for generating EDA-compatible design data (EDA library) to be finally generated, and has an external EDA creation library 202 as a library.

Therefore, when a type of EDA is newly added, it is only necessary to prepare an EDA library corresponding to the new EDA, and the library generation program does not need to be changed at all. A new kind of EDA compared to the case where the development of
The number of man-hours required to incorporate this into the design data creation device is greatly reduced.

In FIG. 3, the same intermediate file 205
When the design data for “EDA1” is needed, the library generation program 206 refers to the EDA1 creation library 202a while referring to the EDA1 library 207a.
When the design data for “EDA2” is required, the library generation program 206 creates the EDA2 library 207b while referring to the EDA2 creation library 202b.

[0020]

As described above, according to the present invention,
It is possible to realize a design data creating apparatus in which a new memory circuit or another new macro module can be easily added or changed, and a new type of EDA can be easily added.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a design data creating apparatus of the present invention in the form of a processing flow.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a method for coping with an increase in the number of types of macro assemblies such as memory circuits in the design data creating device shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 shows an ED in the design data creating apparatus shown in FIG.
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a method of responding when the type of A increases.

[Explanation of symbols]

201, 201a, 201b GAL library 202, 202a, 202b Library for creating EDA data 203 Specifications 204 Parser 205 Intermediate file 206 Library generation program 207 EDA library

Claims (1)

[Claims] A first library for storing a specification description language for describing a specification of a semiconductor circuit; and a specification of a semiconductor circuit, and obtaining the specification by referring to the first library. An intermediate file generator for writing an intermediate file by writing in a specification description language; a second library storing a language for creating design data corresponding to EDA; and referring to the second library, An EDA-compliant data generation unit that converts a file into EDA-compliant design data that satisfies the acquired semiconductor circuit specifications.