STRICT: a language and tool set for the design of very large scale integrated circuits

Abstract

An essential requirement for the design of large VLSI circuits is a design methodology which would allow the designer to overcome the complexity and correctness issues associated with the building of such circuits. We propose that many of the problems of the design of large circuits can be solved by using a formal design notation based upon the functional programming paradigm, that embodies design concepts that have been used extensively as the framework for software construction. The design notation should permit parallel, sequential, and recursive decompositions of a design into smaller components, and it should allow large circuits to be constructed from simpler circuits that can be embedded in a design in a modular fashion. Consistency checking should be provided as early as possible in a design. Such a methodology would structure the design of a circuit in much the same way that procedures, classes, and control structures may be used to structure large software systems. However, such a design notation must be supported by tools which automatically check the consistency of the design, if the methodology is to be practical. In principle, the methodology should impose constraints upon circuit design to reduce errors and provide' correctness by construction' . It should be possible to generate efficient and correct circuits, by providing a route to a large variety of design tools commonly found in design systems: simulators, automatic placement and routing tools, module generators, schematic capture tools, and formal verification and synthesis tools.