com.sun.electric.tool.erc
Class ERCAntenna

java.lang.Object
  extended by com.sun.electric.tool.erc.ERCAntenna

public class ERCAntenna
extends java.lang.Object

This is the Antenna checker of the Electrical Rule Checker tool.

Antenna rules are required by some IC manufacturers to ensure that the transistors of the chip are not destroyed during fabrication. This is because, during fabrication, the wafer is bombarded with ions while making the polysilicon and metal layers. These ions must find a path to through the wafer (to the substrate and active layers at the bottom). If there is a large area of poly or metal, and if it connects ONLY to gates of transistors (not to source or drain or any other active material) then these ions will travel through the transistors. If the ratio of the poly or metal "sidewall area" to the transistor gate area is too large, the transistors will be destroyed. The "sidewall area" is the area of the sides of the poly or metal wires, so it is the perimeter times the thickness.

Things to do: Have errors show the gates; Not all active connections excuse the area trouble...they should be part of the ratio formula


Field Summary
static double DEFMETALRATIO
          default maximum ratio of metal to gate area
static double DEFMETALTHICKNESS
          default metal thickness for side-area
static double DEFPOLYRATIO
          default maximum ratio of poly to gate area
static double DEFPOLYTHICKNESS
          default poly thickness for side-area
 
Method Summary
static void doAntennaCheck()
          The main entrypoint for Antenna checking.
 
Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object
clone, equals, finalize, getClass, hashCode, notify, notifyAll, toString, wait, wait, wait
 

Field Detail

DEFPOLYRATIO

public static final double DEFPOLYRATIO
default maximum ratio of poly to gate area

See Also:
Constant Field Values

DEFMETALRATIO

public static final double DEFMETALRATIO
default maximum ratio of metal to gate area

See Also:
Constant Field Values

DEFPOLYTHICKNESS

public static final double DEFPOLYTHICKNESS
default poly thickness for side-area

See Also:
Constant Field Values

DEFMETALTHICKNESS

public static final double DEFMETALTHICKNESS
default metal thickness for side-area

See Also:
Constant Field Values
Method Detail

doAntennaCheck

public static void doAntennaCheck()
The main entrypoint for Antenna checking. Creating an ERCAntenna object checks the current cell.