LAYOUT DESIGN OF

INTEGRATED CIRCUITS
 What is an Integrated Circuit?

An integrated circuit is a miniature electrical circuit containing

electronic devices, some or all of the devices and interconnections of
which are embedded in or on a piece of material, usually a semi-
conductor material e.g. silicon.
What are Integrated Circuits used for?

Integrated circuits are used as computer memory circuits and

microprocessors. They are used in the equipment used by
manufacturers and processors to improve production efficiency. They
are also used in many familiar and household items and products like
aircraft, cars, washing machines, radios and cellular telephones.
What are Layout Designs of Integrated Circuits?

Layout designs, sometimes called topographies, of integrated circuits

are the three-dimensional placement of some or all of the elements
and interconnections that make up an integrated circuit. New layout
designs of integrated circuits aim mainly at improving the
performance efficiency of the circuitry within the limits of the
materials and technologies being used. This should result in more
functions being carried out with lower power consumption.
How can the Layout Design of an Integrated Circuit be protected?

The importance of layout designs, the cost of research to develop a

new and useful design, and particularly the ease with which a new
design can be copied, prompted the development of its own form of
legal protection as an intellectual property right. The Washington
Treaty (IPIC treaty) was adopted in 1989 and provides protection for
the layout designs (topographies) of integrated circuits.
Under the IPIC Treaty, each Contracting Party is obliged to secure,
throughout its territory, exclusive rights in layout-designs
(topographies) of integrated circuits, whether or not the integrated
circuit concerned is incorporated in an article. Such obligation
applies to layout-designs that are original in the sense that they are
the result of their creators' own intellectual effort and are not
commonplace among creators of layout designs and manufacturers of
integrated circuits at the time of their creation.
Layout Designs Of Integrated Circuits Law In India

In compliance with the TRIPS Agreement, India has enacted the

Semiconductor Integrated Circuits Layout-Designs Act, 2000. Under
this law, a Semiconductor Integrated Circuit has been defined as a
product having transistors and other circuitry elements which are
inseparably formed on a semiconductor material or an insulating
material or inside the semiconductor material and designed to
perform an electronic circuitry function.
Registration of a Layout-Design is valid only for a period of 10 years
from the date of filing.