TRANSCAD-a CAD tool for transparent standard cells

A CAD tool is presented based on the concept of transparent standard cells. The transparent standard cell concept offers more chip area for wiring. The physical layout is carried out in two separate sequential steps, placement and routing. The placement and routing algorithms are discussed. A cell library was designed using CMOS technology with two metal layers. The cell editor presented allows a comfortable design of compact cells with high transparency. Through the use of transparent cells, exclusive routing channels can be avoided and the over cell area can also be used as a routing area. The routing algorithms implemented in the CAD tool take advantage of this new possibility.<>