Circuit - Technology Layers

The Technology Layers dialog box is opened when you select Circuit => Technology Layers from the main menu or select "Technology Layers" from the pop-up menu in the Stackup Manager. This window provides a summary of all the Technology Layers defined in your project. You may view and edit all the properties of all the Technology Layers in your project as well as create new Technology Layers. The controls are detailed below.

The main window displays a list of every Technology Layer defined in your project. There is an entry line for each Technology Layer which provides a summary of the parameters of that Technology Layer. The controls in the rest of the window affect the presently selected Technology Layer. You may click on the title bar of any column to sort the entries based on that column, in ascending or descending order.

Type: This identifies the type of Technology Layer: Metal, Via or Brick. A different symbol is used for each type of Technology Layer. A key for the symbols is displayed in the lower left hand corner of the window.

Tech Layer Name: The name of the Technology Layer; this name is entered when the Technology Layer is created and is displayed in the stackup manager.

Material: The name of the material assigned to this Technology Layer is displayed in this column. The type of material is determined by the type of Technology Layer. Planar metal for a Metal Technology Layer, via metal for a Via Technology Layer and dielectric brick for a Brick Technology Layer. All objects associated with the Technology Layer are modeled using this material.

Level(s): For Metal and Brick Technology Layers, this identifies the Sonnet metal level to which they are assigned. For Via Technology Layers, this identifies the origination and termination metal levels of any vias associated with the Technology Layer.

Fill Type: This column identifies the fill type used for the objects associated with the Technology Layer. Entries vary depending on the type of the Technology Layer. For brick Technology Layers, the fill is always staircase. For Metal Technology Layers, see the Metalization Properties dialog box for an explanation of the fill types for planar metal. For Via Technology Layers, see the Via Properties dialog box for an explanation of the fill types for via metal.

Variable Column: The last column's contents is determined by the drop down list directly above. These fields are not as commonly used so having them share the last column reduces the data displayed at any given time, making the window easier to interpret. The choices are shown below.

The subsectioning controls for the Technology Layer. Please refer to the ''Subsectioning'' chapter in the Sonnet User's Guide for a detailed explanation of these controls. These subsectioning controls are applied to all objects associated with the Technology Layer.

Displays the Edge Mesh setting (On or Off) for Brick or Metal Technology Layers. This setting does not apply to Via Technology Layers and will be blank. Please refer to the ''Subsectioning'' chapter in the Sonnet User's Guide for a detailed explanation of this control. This edge mesh setting is applied to all objects associated with the Technology Layer.

Displays the Pads setting (On or Off) for Via Technology Layers. This setting does not apply to other kinds of Technology layers and will be blank. Setting this feature to "on" places a metal polygon, the same size and shape as the via, at each end of the via. Each polygon is modeled using an equivalent planar metal to the via metal. This planar metal type is not included in the list of metal types, although the via pad is displayed in the project editor.

For an explanation of these fields, please refer to the Import/Export Mapping dialog box.

Displays the number of polygons which inherit their properties from the Technology Layer.

Displays the number of local polygons.

Polygons not in Tech Layers: This field appears just below the key and is the number of polygons on levels which have no technology layer associated with them. A local polygon which appears on a level, and has a Technology Layer associated with it is not included in this count, but is listed in the last column of the main window when "Number of local polygons" is selected in the drop list.

Auto Create: Click on this button to automatically create Technology Layers based on the contents of your project. For more information, see Auto Create Tech Layers.

Add Metal: Click on this button to open the Technology Layer dialog box and create a new Metal Technology Layer. Once you close the Technology Layer dialog box, the list in the main window will be updated and an entry for the new Technology Layer will appear.

Add Via: Click on this button to open the Technology Layer dialog box and create a new Via Technology Layer. Once you close the Technology Layer dialog box, the list in the main window will be updated and an entry for the new Technology Layer will appear.

Add Brick: Click on this button to open the Technology Layer dialog box and create a new Brick Technology Layer. Once you close the Technology Layer dialog box, the list in the main window will be updated and an entry for the new Technology Layer will appear.

Edit: If you wish to change the properties of an existing Technology Layer, click on the entry in the list above, then click on the Edit button to open the Technology Layer dialog box to make any desired changes.

Delete: If you wish to delete an existing Technology Layer, click on the entry in the list above, then click on the Delete button. If there are polygons associated with the Technology Layer, a warning window appears before executing the command.