Place-And-Route System Adds OpenAccess Support
By David Maliniak
Electronicdesign.com
Custom IC layout is a time-consuming, painstaking task that challenges both designers and their layout tools. SpringSoft's custom IC layout system was initially introduced to address the problem of achieving acceptable quality of results and run times. Employing both rule-driven and schematic-driven layout styles, Laker makes it easier to avoid layout-versus-schematic (LVS) errors even as it reduces the time for custom layout.
In the latest iteration of Laker, SpringSoft has added support for the OpenAccess database and application-programming interface (API) from Si2. From a purely business perspective, there are a few advantages to any tool having support for OpenAccess. "Designers are trying to get away from dependency on tools from a single vendor," says Duncan McDonald, SpringSoft's director of product marketing for Laker. OpenAccess enables the creation of parallel flows without proprietary lock-in.
