A Tutorial Introduction to the Electronic Design Interchange Format

The Electronic Design Interchange Format (EDIF) is a neutral data format, through which electronic design information can be exchanged between CAD/CAE systems, semiconductor foundries, fabrication and assembly facilities, etc. The EDIF standard has been under development since November 1983. This paper discusses the history of its development, the organization which supports it, the goals and guidelines followed by the professionals who are developing the standard, and numerous details of the standard itself. Also, an analysis of how well the standard currently covers today's electronic design information is presented, as well as a methodology for developing translators which read and write the format.