This paper argues that the role of Computer Aided Design (CAD) should be to enhance and extend paper-based working, rather than to replace it. Current CAD tools are little used in the early stages of designing. Paper is heavily used, with its physical properties supporting work practices that are not possible with CAD. This paper presents implications for the design of new computer-based tools ...

Synthesis is a complex task spanning many levels of abstractions and information domains. Hence, CAD systems utilize a global design database to achieve the much needed integration of this diverse design information into one central data model. Such a central database represents a serious bottleneck for the CAD system. First, it prevents the extensibility of the CAD system over time, since a ch...

Historically, Computer Aided Design (CAD) research for digital electronics design has emphasized support for the largest and most technically difficult projects. However, the success of many embedded system design efforts depends more on system-level and lifecycle cost optimization than on an ability to synthesize hardware containing millions of transistors. Thus, existing CAD tools may not off...

As Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) power consumption continues to increase, lower power FPGA circuitry, architectures, and Computer-Aided Design (CAD) tools need to be developed. Before designing low-power FPGA circuitry, architectures, or CAD tools, we must first determine where the biggest savings (in terms of energy dissipation) are to be made and whether these savings are cumulative. I...

Today Technology CAD (TCAD) tools are essential to the development of modern Integrated Circuit (IC) fabrication processes. They are as well, required in the design/ optimization of very detailed and critical circuits related to a given IC process, where the usual higher level tools in Electronic Design CAD (ECAD) frameworks do not exhibit the precision or the features required. The boundary be...

A great demand of qualified Integrated Circuits (IC) designers has been observed around the world due to the increasing market of semiconductors, wireless communication and Internet. As a result, engineering schools are obligated to ensure the education of a greater number of new designers. To this goal, professional Computer-Aided Design (CAD) tools for microelectronics are preferred rather th...

In the past few decades, Computer Aided Design (CAD) systems have evolved from 2D tools that assist in construction design to the basis of software systems for a variety of applications, such as (re)design, manufacturing, quality control, and facility management. The basic functions of a modern CAD system are storage and retrieval of 3D data, their construction, manipulation, and visualisation....