A Technology Relative Logic Synthesis and Module Selection System

The logic synthesis step of the CMU-DA system selects modules from a database for use in a digital system. This approach to logic synthesis is described. An experiment using volunteer designers was conducted to calibrate the automated system. The results indicate that the automated system produces designs that are quite close to those expected in the sample population. Design spaces for a relatively large design and two module sets (TTL and CMOS Standard Cells) are illustrated and discussed. A methodology for predicting the bounds of a design space is illustrated and discussed. The system can be used to measure the usefulness of a new module in a module set or to reimplement a design with the modules of a new technology.