ABSTRACT
This chapter presents various concepts and strategies employed to generate a layout of a high-performance, general-purpose microprocessor. The layout process involves generating a physical view of the microprocessor that is ready for manufacturing in a fabrication facility (fab) subject to a given target frequency. The layout of a microprocessor differs from ASIC layout because of the size of the problem, complexity of today’s superscalar architectures, convergence of various design styles, the planning of large team activities, and the complex nature of various, sometimes conflicting, constraints.
