Over the last few years a series of seminars associated with computeraided circuit design have been organised in the South Eastern U.S.A. The third and most recent was concerned with the various mathematical and computer techniques associated with this subject. This report gives an account of the work discussed, the attitudes expressed and the new ideas put forward at the seminar. D. J. Wright reported for Computer Aided Design.
Formal education in the field of computer-aided design appears to be under way at least in the U.S.A., where universities are beginning to offer short courses in this subject. Over the last few years, Dr. George Zobrist of the University of South Florida has organised a series of seminars associated with computer-aided circuit design. Each of these seminars is intended as an examination in depth of a particular aspect of the subject. At the first of them, held at the University of Missouri in the summer of 1967, discussion centred around programs that are generally available throughout the United States, such as NET-I, ECAP, and NASAP. The papers read at that seminar have just been published. 1
The second in the series dealt with device modelling for computer-aided circuit design programs, and the third and most recent seminar was concerned with the various mathematical and computer techniques associated with this subject.
Without fulfilling the role of a conference, the seminar, which was held in Clearwater, Florida, in February of this year, was designed to afford an up-to-date and comprehensive view of the field, and to investigate recent developments in this field and the direction in which future developments are leading. The bias of the seminar, however, was towards the application of these techniques by engineers and scientists, rather than towards research and development carried out by mathematical and other specialists working in this area.
This report attempts to give an account of the work discussed, the attitudes expressed, and the new ideas put forward.