Hints, Tips and Solutions - April 2004

Array Copying - Alignment from Specified Instance Number

For LCD and Memory designs, Array Copy function on Gateway is conveniently used. Users may want to align instances from specified instance number, for example starting from X100 or X1000. Here introduces a convenience way to realize it.

1. 1. Place an initial instance.First, user puts an instance and renames it “X99”.
   
   
2. Copy and Array paste with some settings.
   
   Then you select “X99” and copy and array paste like the Figure.2, Gateway generates an aligned array from “X100”, Figure.3.
   
   
   
   
3. Delete X99.After array coping is completed, you delete “X99” that is not necessary.
   
   
   
4. Array copying for nets.
   
   As well as instances, Gateway presents the array copying for nets.
   
   First off you put an initial net, “NET1” like the Figure.4, and then you select it and copy and array paste in 4x3, Figure.5.

Conclusion

Gateway automatically generates an instance name next to the latest one, if the latest is X1, next one is X2. In addition, user can copy a net in an array as well as instances with X,Y copy number and pitch. When you finish creating the schematic or in LVS checking, you can easily predict and find out a target instance is where.

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