Enhancing extensibility of the design rule checker of an EDA tool by object-oriented modeling

Design rule checking systems are an integral part of electronic design automation tools. Rapid advances and continuous change in semiconductor technology requires that these DRC systems also change accordingly. The paper presents the architecture and mechanism of the DRC module of an IC package design tool. Design goals were identified for the module to allow easy addition, removal, and modification of rules and to minimize the effect of changes among others. The object oriented modeling technique facilitates the accomplishment of these goals by supporting concepts such as abstraction, encapsulation, inheritance, and dynamic binding. The paper puts these concepts in perspective within the context of the architecture and mechanism of the DRC module.