Parallel Connectivity Stacks

A parallel connectivity stack is formed when the same cut layer connects a top layer—a layer with a higher mask number—to various bottom layers, which are layers with lower mask numbers.

In the technology file, a parallel connectivity stack is defined using several viaDefs that have the same cut layer but different bottom layers.

A parallel connectivity stack can be represented as:

via2: Metal2 < MCBOT < MCTOP

To view information about the parallel connectivity stacks in a design, you can access the Diagnostics Report, which is available through the Connectivity tab of the Connectivity form.

• Top connecting layer
• Cut layer
• Bottom connecting layer

Depending on the material to which a cut layer connects, a parallel connectivity stack can be formed by:

• Metal layers
  • Metal-Insulator-Metal Capacitor (MIMCAP) Stack
  • Two-Metal Stack
• Poly layers
  • Poly-Insulator-Poly Capacitor (PIPCAP) Stack