Project Editor tab - Stackup Manager

The Stackup Manager, which appears in the left pane of the project editor 2D tab in the Sonnet session window by default, shows the dielectric layers, metal levels and Technology Layers in your project. The Stackup Manager may be used to add, delete and edit both dielectric layers and Technology Layers. The commands in the Stackup Manager are accessed by right-clicking and making selections in popup menus which appear. See Menus below for more information.

NOTE: If you are using the Stackup Viewer in an Interface, there are no menus available, nor is a 2D view of your Sonnet project available so the navigation controls have no effect.

An example of the Stackup Manager is shown below followed by a brief description of what is displayed in the Stackup Manager.

• Metal Technology Layers are displayed as red bars, Brick Technology Layers as blue boxes, and Via Technology Layers as gold cones.
• Dielectric Layers are represented in green and the dielectric material name is displayed.
• The Stackup Manager displays Technology Layers, and is not intended to show every polygon or material in your circuit. For example, if a given level contains only polygons which are .are not associated with a Technology Layer, then a Technology Layer does not need to be defined. In this scenario, the Stackup Manager will not show a Technology Layer, even though there are polygons on this level.
• The stackup is not drawn to scale and the proximity of layers as drawn in the stackup is not indicative of their size or relative distance in your circuit.
• Thick metal used for a Metal Technology Layer that is exactly the same thickness as the dielectric layer above is drawn as the same thickness as the dielectric layer as shown by A in the drawing above. Thick metal that is not the entire thickness of the dielectric layer, takes up half the dielectric thickness, no matter what its true thickness, as shown by B in the drawing above.
• The Sonnet metal level is labeled on the left side of the stackup manager. When a metal level is selected, as level 1 is in this illustration, the line representing the metal level is highlighted. The main window of the 2D view is updated to display the view of the selected level, so that the Stackup Manger provides an easy way to navigate through your circuit.
• If a Technology Layer  has no objects associated with it, then only the outline appears, rather than a solid color fill, as shown on the Brick Technology Layer "Brick" in the illustration above.
• Multiple Technology Layers of the same or different types may be assigned to any given Sonnet Level.

Viewing the Stackup Manager

If you do not wish to display the Stackup Manager, select Windows -Toolbars and Panels - Stackup Manager from the project editor menu. If the Stackup Manager is not presently displayed, you may use the same command to make it re-appear. Note that the setting of this command applies to all open projects and any that are subsequently opened.

Hover Over Information

Moving your cursor over different objects in the Stackup Manager causes a popup window to appear which contains information about that object.

Menus

The various menus and how to access them are documented below. Note that you use the Dielectric Menu to add new Technology Layers.

Main Menu: If you right-click in any blank space in the stackup manager, the main menu appears in a pop-up. the commands are explained below:

Select All Tech Layers:  Clicking on this command from the pop-up menu selects every Technology Layer in your project.

Technology Layers

Load Technology

Auto Create Tech Layers

Dielectric Layers

Planar Metal Types

Via Metal Types

Brick Types

Dielectric Menu: If you right-click anywhere in a green dielectric layer, the dielectric menu appears. Note that you are selecting that dielectric layer and the metal level below it. Any new Technology Layers are added on the metal level below the selected dielectric. See below for explanations of the commands.

Add [Metal|Via|Brick] Tech Layer

Copy Dielectric [Above|Below]

Delete Dielectric

Dielectric Layers

Dielectric Properties

Technology Layer Menu: If you right-click on a Technology Layer, the Technology Layer menu appears. The commands are explained below:

Select Polygons: This command selects every object in your circuit associated with the presently selected Technology Layer. This allows you to see and/or manipulate all the objects associated with any given Technology Layer.

Delete Tech Layer: This command deletes the presently selected Technology Layer from your project. A query may appear to ask if you wish to also delete all the objects associated with the technology layer.

Technology Layers

Tech Layer Properties