VLSI Concept · Physical Design
DRC vs LVS vs LVC
Can we build it? Does it match? Does it still work the same?
DRC (Design Rule Check) asks: can the foundry actually manufacture these shapes given process limits? LVS (Layout vs Schematic) asks: does the physical layout electrically match the intended netlist? LVC (logical equivalence) asks: after all the physical optimizations, does the design still behave identically to the original?
All three must be clean before tapeout.