Systematic design of high-accuracy current-steering D/A converter macrocells for integrated VLSI systems

This brief presents a systematic design methodology for digital-to-analog ( D/A) converter macrocells for integrated VLSI systems. A generic behavioral model is included for system-level exploration to define the converter's s pecifications. The architecture and the sizes of the devices are then calcu lated using a performance-driven design methodology. Using a novel layout t ool, the layout of the regular structures with complex connectivity, typica l for D/A converters, is automatically generated. Finally, a detailed behav ioral model is extracted, combining both complex dynamic behavior (glitch e nergy) and static behavior. A 12-bit and two l l-bit D/A converters have be en designed using this approach. It is demonstrated how the applied methodo logy and supporting tools drastically reduce the total design time, thereby significantly increasing analog design productivity.