The desire to design systems right the first time and to produce designs thatare readily manufacturable is a goal passionately pursued byall engineers. Designers ofelectronic systems are no exception to this rule; the number and sophistication ofthe computer-aided design tools used daily bychip designers confirm this. Recently, however, designers oflarger electronic systems have also been turning to such tools ingrowing numbers. This article explores how a specific capability, simulation, has contributed to theirsuccess.

This tutorial describes the use of simulation techniques to improve the manufacturability yield of ASIC devices. ASIC manufacturability simulation procedures are illustrated with the help of vari o u s p r a c t i c a l e x a m p l e s . Use of A S I C manufacturability simulation as part of standard design methodology at AT&T has been shown to improve the yield of ASIC devices and it also helps reduce the ASIC design interval.