A hierarchical graphic software package for documenting circuit design layout

This paper describes the processing techniques and characteristics of a graphic documentation software package which was developed for plotting hierarchically-modular circuit design layouts using a dot-matrix printer/plotter. This software can be used for other graphic applications as long as the data is supplied in the required descriptive language format. This software package will process modularly partitioned circuits or structures to any nested level and allow accumulative rotation and mirroring (B orientations) of the modules regardless of nesting level. The software uses design data in RCA's Design File Language and accesses data for the modules from library files using searches on name. If the graphic presentations require more than one page width, multiple segments (pages) are spooled out to the printer/plotter with fiducial reference marks for joining the segments together. Complete integrated circuit layouts may be plotted using either cell outlines or complete cell details. Other options include scaling, rotation, windowing, and shading of polygons. A single mask level may be selected for plotting, if desired.