DRC and LVS

There are two checking operations required when a layout is finished. The first is Design Rule Checking (DRC), which makes sure that all dimensions and spacings obey the design rules. The second is Layout Versus Schematic (LVS), which ensures that the layout matches the (simulated) schematic.

One has to face the humiliating fact that a human being is not well-suited for either job. Great attention to an excruciating amount of detail is required, which we cannot handle without making mistakes. A computer is clearly not as smart as a human being (or so we like to think). It is adamantly intolerant of errors, however, and it never tires. Only if DRC and LVS are done by computer can you be certain that the chip will contain what you think it contains.