Digitizing, layout, rule checking—The everyday tasks of chip designers

The layout phase is most critical in the design of integrated circuits (IC's) because of the cost of the phase itself, since it involves expensive tools and a large amount of human intervention, and also because of the consequences for production Cost. Several approaches are used that need more or less computer and/or man time. The compromise is difficult because of the number of parameters to be taken into account. This paper presents the methods most commonly used with their advantages and disadvantages.