Essential Tools for Physical Design Engineers: A Comprehensive Guide

A Physical Design engineer in the semiconductor industry performs the critical task of taking abstract specifications for chips into tangible, working hardware. As demands for smaller, faster, and more efficient chips grow, so do the sophistication and specialism of the tools needed for VLSI physical design engineer. A system on physical design is extremely complex and involves various tasks such as floorplanning, placement, routing, timing analysis, and power optimization to ensure that the fabricated chip works according to expectations.

In this blog, you walk through the important tools of a VLSI physical design engineer as he grapples with one challenge after the other during the physical design cycle. Whether you are an aspiring engineer or a senior physical design engineer, these tools will form your foundation for success in the evolving world of chip design.

1. Synopsys IC Compiler

Another fundamental tool in a VLSI physical design engineer’s arsenal is Synopsys IC Compiler. It offers full support in both the front-end and back-end phases of the design. It helps in optimizing designs in multiple areas like area, power, and timing while also considering high-performance designs.

The advanced node physical design engineer especially finds the IC Compiler very beneficial due to the advanced algorithms present in the tool, which help drive high-density designs. A tool that combines robustness with flexibility, senior physical design engineers can’t do without it to meet these very strict requirements.

2. Cadence Innovus

Cadence Innovus is one of the very popular tools for physical design engineers. It offers a solution for implementation and signoff at various stages of chip design. Innovus has some high-performance features that make it possible for floor planning, placement, routing, and timing analysis by physical design engineers.

For power optimization, the tool has the features to ensure that the design respects all specified constraints without power budget violations. For other senior physical design engineers, Innovus can be used in more complex designs as well as fine-grained analyses of large designs.

3. Mentor Graphics Calibre

Mentor Graphics Calibre is the most used tool for physical verification in VLSI physical design engineering, as the software suite supports engineers in doing very critical checks on such VLSI physical designs, like DRC, LVS, and electrical rule checks.

For the physical design engineer, it is always crucial that the manufactured version adhere to the process; Calibre makes that easy, saving time verifying designs that would otherwise be spent optimizing the chip. Widely known for the accuracy and efficiency of its signoff processes, the tool has become a mainstay in most companies’ production flows.

4. ANSYS RedHawk

The ANSYS RedHawk product is especially targeted at the power and noise analysis within physical design engineering. The engineer then can evaluate and optimize the power distribution network of a chip, which is very important to prevent IR drop problems, as well as electromigration that may cause chip failure.

For a senior physical design engineer, RedHawk provides an in-depth analysis of the integrity of the power grid, which is particularly important within high-performance designs where issues are about higher power consumption and consequently dissipation in heat. It ensures that the physical designs take into account not only the timings required but also function properly in real conditions.

5. Aldec Active-HDL

Aldec Active-HDL is a simulation tool mainly used to complement the workflow of the physical design engineer. It supports several simulation languages such as VHDL, Verilog, and SystemVerilog, and has the capability of interfacing other design tools together to provide an integrated environment both for RTL and physical design tasks.

Active-HDL is quite useful for VLSI physical design engineers who are involved in verification. They need a high-level tool that can run functional and timing simulations. It helps check the design for logical correctness before entering the more minute physical implementations.

6. PowerArtist

Optimization of power is a prime objective of the physical design engineers who are working on modern chips. PowerArtist is a tool that specializes in low-power design and optimization. Advanced techniques such as clock gating and power gating are used to achieve a reduction in overall power consumption without sacrificing performance.

PowerArtist offers a fine level of granularity and control over the optimization of power that senior physical design engineers require when dealing with large, complex designs. Above all, it suits well in industries such as mobile devices, where power efficiency is a critical concern.

7. Tessent

Tessent from Mentor Graphics is widely used for test and yield optimization in physical design. For VLSI physical design engineers, it is a critical success factor to make sure the chip is testable during the production process, after which yield and quality can be ensured.

Tools from Tessent help hardware designers implement a variety of DFT techniques, including scan insertion, boundary scan, and BIST at the physical design implementation level. These methods allow for testing that is easier and consequently more comprehensive signature of a high-stakes manufacturing environment.

8. OpenROAD

OpenROAD is an open-source toolchain for digital design that covers the full flow from synthesis to physical design and sign-off. It has particularly been of great benefit to the physical design engineer-academicians, researchers in startups, as well as those seeking open-source alternatives to commercial tools.

OpenROAD supports all stages of physical design including placement, routing, and optimization, thus making it a complete solution for VLSI physical designers. Generally, its open-source nature has usually allowed for considerable customizations and can be modified according to specific project requirements, thus giving designers more freedom over their designs.

Conclusion

It requires a lot of work to be done by a VLSI physical design engineer with a high demand for technical knowledge along with competency in the right set of tools. And this is getting all the more important as the industry keeps moving forward, demanding more and more advanced design tools.

With a very comprehensive training program on VLSI, Takshila Academy educates aspiring engineers with all the skills required soon to master them in the semiconductor industry. Through hands-on training with industry-standard tools and expert guidance, such training will make them able enough to transform theoretical knowledge into practical reality. Takshila offers 100% placement support to the engineers so that they not only learn but get placed in top companies ensuring their growth as VLSI physical design engineers. Takshila’s curriculum keeps you up-to-date with industry trends and technology, whether you are just getting started or advancing in a career.