Layout of a STAR device consists of the placement of standard cells (circuit elements) on the array and the routing of conductors between cells. Cell placement must be such that routing is not hindered. Also, placement procedures must be cost effective and easy to implement on a digital computer. A placement procedure for STARs is described in this paper that satisfies these characteristics.The procedure attempts to optimize the placement with respect to several criteria including expected routing channel usage and routing VIA requirements. Computer implementations of the procedure are discussed. Experimental results are presented which indicate that the procedure yields near-optlmum results in computationally convenient amounts of time.

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The computer engineering program offered by the Electrical Engineering Department of Auburn University is described. Bachelors, masters, and Ph.D. degree programs in Electrical Engineering may be pursued with specialization in computer engineering. Auburn's computer engineering program is structured to emphasize computer system design and utilization including both hardware and software considerations.A broad spectrum of courses is offered in computer engineering at both the undergraduate and the graduate level. Brief descriptions of the courses are given in the paper. Subjects covered in the courses range from traditional topics such as logic design, computer organization, and programming to various specialized topics. Computer architecture, computer graphics, coding theory, fault diagnosis, and fault-tolerant computing are but some of the specialized topics covered.Research is a fundamental aspect of any graduate program. The computer engineering research activities at Auburn are described in the paper. Graduate students, undergraduate students, and faculty participate in a wide range of sponsored and unsponsored projects. Laboratory facilities available for support of the projects will also be discussed.Another important aspect of the computer engineering program at Auburn is extension activities. Short course and conference activities oriented toward computer engineering are frequently offered by the faculty at various locations within the state of Alabama and are briefly discussed here.

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