Rule Checker Targets SoCs

ArctICtm, an electrical rule checker for system-on-a-chip (SoC) designs, can be used to check the electrical integrity of complex digital, memory and mixed analog/digital circuits. Users can translate their own knowledge base into a programmable set of rules and check a design for violations. The tool enables the knowledge base to grow. Rules include both built-in checks and user-written rules. The built-in checks include checks for issues related to circuit topology and noise immunity. User-written rules can include design methodology checks plus additional electrical checks pertinent to the circuit design style being used. The tool classifies different circuit topologies, and each rule can then be applied with different pass/fail criteria based on these classifications. ArctIC requires a SPICE netlist and a control file in Tcl format. Pricing starts at $17,000 for an annual license (includes maintenance).