Enhancements to the IMAGES Language for Synthesis

VLSI layout synthesis requires both general support tools, and tools keyed specifically to the application. To support this the system must be extensible to allow capabilities to be added by CAD workers or the designers themselves (who are sometimes the same person). This chapter illustrates two cases where this has been done. The first cases discusses how the IMAGES compiler and a textual filter can be combined to simulate the effect of having routers in the language. The second section discusses how the IMAGES language can be interleaved with the C programming language so that designers can write technology updatable generators.