RUBICAD | Technology & Products

Technology for
Design Migration
Design Reuse
Timing and Signal Integrity in UDSM
Intellectual Property
Physical Verification
Library Generation

Products
LADEE
DECOR
LACE
LACEedit
AutoMask
LayAna
LayNet
BatchComp
CrossSpeed
HierO
P-Rex

P-Rex
The Data Optimizer for Physical IC Layout

P-REX stands for Primitive cell REconstruction. P-REX analyzes a given layout database and reduces the data size by inserting further levels of hierarchy. This reduction is achieved by automatically substituting references to primitive or parameterized cells, also called p-cells, for flat layout data.
The primitive cells can be defined by the user or read into P-REX from an existing library. The primitive cells, as well as the input layout database, can have a hierarchical structure. P-REX preserves all existing levels of hierarchy and the full integrity of the database regarding netlist and design rule correctness.

Interoperability
P-REX can be seamlessly integrated with all major tools and design flows, such as ASIC, COT, and digital or analog full custom designs. P-REX's outstanding performance enables the processing of huge databases, such as entire system-on-a-chip (SOC) databases.

Applications towards various goals

P-REX can apply the linear shrink methodology to old legacy designs that do not contain primitive cells or any hierarchy at all.

P-REX-optimized layout databases can be processed more easily and quickly for other tasks such as layout editing, verification and extraction.

P-REX significantly reduces the layout database size.

P-REX preserves the level of hierarchy containing the primitive cells during the conversion and migration process, using LACE, Rubicad's Layout Compaction Engine in the LADEE tool suite, or other compaction tools.

P-REX makes possible a linear shrink of flat layout data
The data in many old legacy designs contains either no hierarchy at all or no primitive or parameterized cells. But parameterized cells are necessary for performing linear shrinks. A linear shrink is a method for converting a layout design to the design rules of a new or different process technology. In general, the linear shrink is limited to linear design rule changes. But often, the new or different technology requires changes that are not linear at all. Examples of such changes are removing contact overhangs, changing the number of contacts in an array of contacts, or changing the spacing between gate and contact. When the parameterized cells are inside the layout, it is easy to make these changes without working on each single instance.
Using P-REX to automatically prepare a legacy database for a linear shrink saves many person-months or even person-years of manual work. Without P-REX, many databases have to be designed anew, causing huge time-to-market delays.

P-REX-optimized databases require less disk space
P-REX databases consume significantly less disk space, requiring much less memory for data storage, operation and access time. This reduction in size does not affect the database's functionality or integrity. All hierarchy levels before the P-REX operation are maintained.

P-REX user interface and ease of use
P-REX is embedded in a graphical user interface (GUI) to set up and run the software. Batch mode operation is also provided. P-REX is easy to use without requiring any training. New users are guided by a tutorial and a wizard to set up the tool.