Using Calibre eqDRC design rule checking for curved layouts in silicon photonics

Silicon photonics integrated circuit components include unconventional geometries, such as curvilinear (non-Manhattan) shapes. Calibre eqDRC equation-based design rule checking technology enables designers to verify such components by applying multi-dimensional tolerance checking and rule-based equations that model the behavior of the complex typical structures. With the accuracy of Calibre eqDRC verification, silicon photonics designers can enjoy more design freedom with confidence in the results.

Equation-based design rule checking provides accurate characterizations of complex, multi-variate design issues in silicon photonics layouts

With the Calibre eqDRC language, traditional DRC capability is extended to assist engineers in analyzing complex and multi-dimensional rules that are hard or impossible to implement with traditional methods. The rule writer has the ability to apply conditional DRC rules with multi-dimensional tolerance values to perform difficult checks on curvilinear shapes. Moreover, complex rules used for common structures can be modeled into equations to enable accurate results capture, without the inclusion of false errors.

The Calibre eqDRC language also facilitates debugging by annotating illegal geometries with fully-customized error correction information. To visualize the error on the design, the rule writer creates the appropriate output properties by reverse-engineering the failure constraint to determine the needed correction.