Stackup Viewer

Current Density Viewer - Technology Layers

The stackup viewer, which appears in the left pane of the current density viewer when you select View => Stackup, shows the dielectric layers, metal levels and Technology Layers in your project. The stackup viewer may be used to change what metal level is displayed in the main window.

An example of the stackup viewer is shown below followed by a brief description of what is displayed in the stackup viewer.

• Metal Technology Layers are displayed as red bars, Brick Technology Layers as blue boxes, and Via Technology Layers as gold cones.

• Dielectric Layers are represented in green and the dielectric material name is displayed.

• The stackup viewer displays Technology Layers, and is not intended to show every polygon or material in your circuit. For example, if a given level contains only polygons which are .are not associated with a Technology Layer, then a Technology Layer does not need to be defined. In this scenario, the stackup viewer will not show a Technology Layer, even though there are polygons on this level.

• The stackup is not drawn to scale and the proximity of layers as drawn in the stackup is not indicative of their size or relative distance in your circuit.

• Thick metal used for a Metal Technology Layer that is exactly the same thickness as the dielectric layer above is drawn as the same thickness as the dielectric layer as shown by A in the drawing above. Thick metal that is not the entire thickness of the dielectric layer, takes up half the dielectric thickness, no matter what its true thickness, as shown by B in the drawing above.

• The Sonnet metal level is labeled on the left side of the stackup manager. When a metal level is selected, as level 1 is in this illustration, the line representing the metal level is highlighted. The main window of the current density viewer is updated to display the view of the selected level, so that the stackup viewer provides an easy way to navigate through your circuit.

• Multiple Technology Layers of the same or different types may be assigned to any given Sonnet Level.