Customer Reviews

IC Layout Basics : A Practical Guide

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought this book to see what "competition" thinks about IC Layout subject. Here are my personal comments on IC Layout Basics book:

1. The book represents a very simple but detailed explanation of all the basic structures required by an IC Layout Designer to understand if s/he wants to know "why" and "how" devices are built and used in the industry. From the basic transistor and up to inductors all the details are very clear explained. I will recommend this book to any IC Layout Designer who wants to now more than just pushing polygons to achieve a circuit representation in mask layers.

2. The book advertise herself as a book to be put near the bed and used as an easy reading. Sorry to disappoint you but once I started reading I could not sleep. From page to page, from concept to concept I've got more and more captivated by the style and vocabulary of the text. I finished the book in one week but my sleeping had to suffer. It is written in a very easy to read vocabulary, with some light jokes and with a fine touch to make you more curious from chapter to chapter. After more than 15 years in this profession I really enjoyed reading your book.
Writing a book of my own, I know the size of the effort required and I would like to personally thank you for such a nice presentation.

3. When I wrote my book "CMOS IC Layout Concepts, Methodologies and Tools" I thought that I covered all the basic information that an IC Layout Designer needs to become effective and efficient in doing his/her job. I thought that I cover all the basic training required from grade 1 to grade 12. Reading this book I found that Christopher and Judy Saint are covering much deeper than me, with a lot more process information, the knowledge needed from grade 1 through 4. Thank you for help in clarifying all the basics.

Only one complain about the book: I have found in many chapter references about contacting the author for comments but I could not find any contact information. If you want readers' feedback please post an Email or any other meanings of communication. I personally received many feedback Emails from readers and I am sure you can benefit from such idea. Please feel free to contact me for comments.

Yours really devoted reader
Dan Clein...

I've been a layout designer for about 15 years, and really wish I had these books when I first began. Not only would it have saved me time in not hunting down the answers from numerous books, and people, but I would've have had a much more solid grasp more quickly, and would've been a better layout designer.
Though these books are introductory, if you are not a circuit engineer, and are new, don't expect to understand everything contained therein. This is not a "dummies" book -- the writer does expect some exposure to the ideas/terminology contained in the book though he covers them in good detail. Basic knowledge in electronics will be greatly helpful.

This is one of the best books I've seen out there for someone who is not an EE, or technical genius but wants to understand layout design on a deeper level. This book, will give you the many "whys", and will deepen your value as a designer. This book and it's companion "IC Mask Design", along with Dan Clein's
book are investments that you only wish you made sooner.
If you've been designing for some time and do not have a EE degree, I still believe you will glean some additional insights/depth from this book as well.

Yes, one of the reviewer is right in saying that everything offered in this book can be learned in a meeting with an experienced IC designer. However, I think this book certainly has great value in terms of teaching an inexperienced person the basics of layout. This book may not be the great in terms of teaching one the concepts and nuances of analog layout and I would refer an aspiring analog layout person to "Art of analog layout" by Hastings or "CMOS layout" by Jacob Baker. These two books are really good for that need. This book in question however does fill the basic needs that it intends to. It gives a start to VLSI layout in general. I think that this book is a very good shelf companion for a person who is just into designing layouts.

This is the kind of book people need! "IC Layout Basics" really is intended for people with no background in electronics or engineering whatsoever. The first chapter is actually a quick run-through of basic electronics concepts like Ohm's Law and just what exactly a "semiconductor" is. Combined with its companion book "IC Mask Design" by the same authors, this is the absolute most gentle introduction to semiconductor design that could possibly be conceived.

Make no mistake: To actually get a job in the industry, you'll need more than this. As other reviewers have pointed out, the information here is so extremely elementary that professional layout engineers will need to follow-up with further study. But the end of this book helpfully supplies a bibliography of books to follow up with, and even includes a (woefully short and geographically limited) list of college programs on the subject. It's only the basics, but there is no other major book that I know of which explains the basics of semiconductor design so clearly and concisely. As such, it gets thumbs up from me, and a big thanks to the authors for this much-needed contribution to the field!

This book truly is a "Bedtime Engineering Book". While it is technical, the information is fascinating and presented extremely clearly and colorfully in a manner that is neither over my head nor insulting (all the while, keeping a sense of humor). As an engineer, I can vouch for the fact that this book is not watered-down as some "basic" books are. It starts with well-explained basics so that the equations and technical details it gives later become intuitive. A quality technical text that reads well. Overall, an excellent book!

Well formatted and organized. The subject arrangement followed a logical order. It is self-explanatory and has the proper mix of illustrations and text to make the information easy to understand. The subject is detailed enough to provide the reader with a good understanding of the process of IC layout and fabrication. The book also contains the information on mixed environment designs using CMOS, BJT's, and passives on chip. The text includes the simple formulas to calculate the value of the passives based on the geometry.

'IC Layout Basics' is a great book for beginners. There is no doubt about this. I give it 4 star but not 5, why? Because I think there are rooms for improvement (hoping I can see these improvements in the next edition). Below are my comments (good and bad):
(1) You don't need to know much about electronics before you can start reading this book, fine! On the other hand, you will know quite something after reading this book, perfect!
(2) This book uses plan English plus lots and lots of graphics. This is great for people like me (I live in Hong Kong, a Chinese).
(3) This book is well edited. You can hardly find errors in this book even in this first edition. OK, you can find some (e.g. the units on p.172, the graph on p.209).
(4) This book is a bit longwinded in some area. I can condense the book by 25% without missing any information. For example, there is no need to use 29 pages (from p.72 to p.100) just to show the steps in a typical CMOS process (two diagrams can be squished into one page).
(5) There are topics that can be explained with more insight. For example, why we build transistors on P- EPI but not directly from P Substrate? Epitaxy layer has been described/used through out the book, just missing a bit of explanation.

As a whole, this book is a great self-study guide and is the gateway to another master piece: 'IC Mask Design' from the same authors.

Great coverage of basic layout concepts. This book explains things in clear, easy to digest terms. The authors also put a sprinkling of humour here and there. Very well written.

In short, if you are lost and have NO idea what the hell layout is all about, this is the book.

However, if there are more details needed, then Alan Hasting's Art of Analog Layout is still the best book to read. (though this book is definitely more hilarious and easier to digest)

The clearest explanations I've seen in a long time - on any subject. Not only is this book straightforward, as if talking to you one-on-one, but it is an interesting read as well. Plenty of illustrations. Plenty of personality and humour from the authors. Plenty of down-to-earth asides and advice. This book has a lot for both the beginner and the experienced layout engineer. In fact, even circuit designers could do with a read through as well. It's full of concrete details on devices, processes and concepts. Not much mathematics, thank goodness, and the authors do take their time and help you when it does creep in. I found a website for the book, which said they have another one coming out in 'Spring 2002' that talks about techniques. I thought this book had some good techniques in it, so I can't wait to see what this other book will have. If it's like this one, I'm buying it.