Presentation
A Method to Automate the Conversion of .def File into .save.io One to Speed up the BE Digital Flow in Analog-on-Top Designs
DescriptionIn analog-on-top design flows, ensuring pin position and ordering constraints from the analog layout team is critical for the Place & Route of digital IP blocks. Traditionally, digital layout engineers manually convert DEF files, which describe physical layout and pin information, into .save.io files required by Innovus. This manual editing is time-consuming, error-prone, and must be repeated frequently due to evolving constraints. We present "IO Generator," a Python-based tool that automates the conversion of DEF files into the .save.io format, significantly accelerating the backend digital flow. The tool accurately assigns pins to floorplan sides and computes offsets and skips based on LEF-defined pitch and width parameters. It includes robust error checking to ensure pin alignment and offers two modes: pin extraction for file generation and pin comparison for mismatch reporting between DEF and netlist files. With a user-friendly GUI and command-line interface, IO Generator reduces manual effort from hours to seconds, minimizes errors, and integrates seamlessly into existing flows. IO Generator has been successfully adopted across multiple projects, proving its effectiveness and versatility in modern analog-on-top digital design flows.
Event Type
Engineering Poster Gladiator
TimeTuesday, July 285:42pm - 5:51pm PDT
LocationDAC Pavilion, Exhibit Floor