A VLSI Channel Routing Method Using Genetic Algorithm Based on the Coexistence of Heterogeneous Populations

Channel routing is one of the important tasks in the layout design of VLSI's, where a complex set of routing constraints should be satisfied, and at the same time, the number of tracks, the sum of wire length, and the number of vias should be minimized in order to improve the performance and production costs. In this paper, we propose a new channel routing method using genetic algorithm based on the coexistence of heterogeneous populations. In the proposed method, an individual can be defined as a channel routing result, and classified into heterogeneous sub-populations according to its number of tracks. In addition to common genetic operators, namely, selection, crossover, and mutation, a new operator ‘movement of individual among heterogeneous sub-populations’ is applied. The majority of individuals concentrate in a sub-population of fewer tracks through many generations, and near-optimal solutions can be searched effectively. We have also applied the proposed method to several channel routing problems in order to demonstrate its effectiveness.