21/08/2025

What are Physical Verification checks?

o   DRC (Design Rule Check): Verifies that the layout geometry adheres to the manufacturing constraints (design rules) specified by the foundry for the target technology node. This includes checks for minimum width, spacing, area, enclosure, overlap, etc., for all layers (metal, poly, diffusion, vias, etc.). Ensures the layout can be physically manufactured with acceptable yield.

o   LVS (Layout Versus Schematic): Compares GDS(Layout) vs schematic(Netlist). It verifies that the layout correctly implements the intended logic in netlist. It checks, device types, and device parameters (like transistor W/L). Checks for shorts, opens, incorrect connections, missing/extra devices, and parameter mismatches.

o   Antenna Check (Plasma Induced Damage Check): Verifies compliance with antenna rules, which limit the ratio of connected metal area (acting as an antenna collecting charge during plasma etching) to the gate area of connected transistors. Prevents gate oxide damage during manufacturing.

o   ERC (Electrical Rule Check): Checks for electrical issues in the layout that might not be caught by LVS or DRC but could cause functional problems or reliability issues. Examples include:

o   Floating wells or substrates (potential latch-up risk).

o   Floating gates.

o   Shorted power and ground nets (though often caught by LVS too).

o   Nets connected only to gate pins without drivers.

o   Incorrect power/ground connections for specific cells.

o   Density Checks: Ensures the density of features (metal, poly, diffusion) across the chip falls within specified minimum and maximum limits per window size. This is crucial for uniform results during manufacturing processes like Chemical-Mechanical Polishing (CMP) and etching. Dummy fill patterns are often added to meet density rules.

o   DFM Checks (Design for Manufacturability: Examples include redundant via insertion, Dummy Metal fill, recommended rule checks beyond the mandatory DRCs.

o   PERC: ESD and multiple power domain related checks.

 

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