PDP-1 Norden 19640323

This document describes a pioneering system developed by the Norden Division of United Aircraft Corp., under Air Force sponsorship, for computer-aided design and manufacture of integrated microcircuits.

The system addresses the most time-consuming phases of microcircuit production: design analysis and mask layout. It aims to significantly speed up the process and cut costs.

Here's how it works:

• Engineers provide a preliminary circuit design to the computer.
• The computer performs a complete electrical analysis (a-c, d-c, and transient), eliminating the need for traditional "breadboarding" and reducing analysis time from months to minutes.
• It then generates an initial topological mask layout – arranging semiconductor junctions and interconnections – based on programmed design rules.
• This layout is displayed on a cathode-ray tube, allowing engineers to refine it interactively using a light pen. The computer immediately reflects the consequences of these changes.

The benefits include increased speed, accuracy, and efficiency in designing complex microcircuits, optimizing chip area, and reducing crossovers. Norden envisions a future where the computer can perform complete circuit synthesis from a transfer function, leading to highly flexible, rapidly reproducible, and durable designs.