Integrated circuit layout

Integrated circuit layout, also known IC layout, IC mask layout, or mask design, is the representation of an integrated circuit in terms of planar geometric shapes which correspond to the patterns of metal, oxide, or semiconductor layers that make up the components of the integrated circuit.

When using a standard process - where the interaction of the many chemical, thermal, and photographic variables are known and carefully controlled - the behaviour of the final integrated circuit depends largely on the positions and interconnections of the geometric shapes. Using a computer-aided layout tool, the layout engineer—or layout technician—places and connects all of the components that make up the chip such that they meet certain criterion—typically: performance, size, density, and manufacturability. This practice is often subdivided between two primary layout disciplines: Analog and Digital.

The generated layout must pass a series of checks in a process known as physical verification. The most common checks in this verification process are