GDSII is a binary file format created in the 1970's which isįormat', used for transferring mask-design data between the IC designerĪnd the fabrication facility. For more information about Gerber, visit the The Gerber format is well over 35 years old and is simply anĪSCII text file containing X,Y coordinates, and shapes (i.eĪpertures/dcodes). Look that the format you want to convert your AutoCAD drawing to: To figure out the problems and how to overcome them, first lets

DWG is essentially a binary version of DXF which tends to be smaller and cause less parsing errors during conversions. Virtually all user-specified information in a drawing file can be represented in DXF format. This value also indicates the meaning of a data element for a given object (or record) type. A group code's value indicates what type of data element follows. Tagged data means that each data element in the file is preceded by an integer number that is called a group code. The DXF format is a tagged data representation of all the information contained in an AutoCAD® drawing file. DXF is widely used as the de facto standard in the engineering and construction industries.

This has been a mystery which has plagued designers and mask makers for well over 20 years, and the purpose of this article is to help explain common problems and how to solve them.įACT: Most Fabricators & Mask shops won’t touch your DXF data with a 10 foot pole and ask that you provide them only with the manufacturing formats (such as Gerber data, GDS-II, ODB++, NC, etc.) – which is probably why you are reading this article in the first place :)ĭXF stands for Drawing Exchange Format, and it is a format for transferring drawings between Computer Aided Design systems. Once the layout is completed and a DXF file is outputted they will attempt to convert to a manufacturing format (such as Gerber data, GDS-II, ODB++, NC, etc.) – seems simple enough right? Wrong! This approach usually results in an astonished look on the designers face, when they view their converted manufacturing files and discover those files are not worthy of sending out for fabrication. Designers generally choose to layout their designs in MCAD when existing EDA/Layout tools do not possess the capabilities to meet unique geometrical requirements. The power of MCAD tools (like AutoCAD) are that they support a wide array of entities types which can be used to easily construct electronic designs from the simplest PCB to the most complex IC/MEMs circuit. It is estimated over 10%-15% of all electronic layouts (for PCB's, RF, IC/MEMs, etc) are still designed using Mechanical CAD tools (like AutoCAD, SolidWorks, ProE, etc). By Simon Garrison, Applications Manager - Numerical Innovations

Gds to dxf converter