G2L: system for converting low-level geometrical designs to a higher level representation

The author presents a methodology for converting VLSI design information from a geometry oriented database to a higher level database where electrical objects are the primitive elements. The conversion extracts the active elements and implicit connections from the geometry and recreates them using novel routing techniques producing geometrically identical layout. The methodology has been implemented in a GDS II to L language converter capable of converting databases containing whole chip designs. The system has been tested with processor designs and whole standard cell libraries.<>