Numerical simulation is rapidly becoming an important part of the VLSI design process, allowing the engineer to test, evaluate, and optimize various aspects of chip design without resorting to the costly and time-consuming process of fabricating prototypes. This procedure not only accelerates the design process, but also improves the end product, since it is economically feasible to numerically simulate many more options than might otherwise be considered. With the enhanced computing power of today's computers, more sophisticated models are now being developed.This volume contains the proceedings of the AMS-SIAM Summer Seminar on Computational Aspects of VLSI Design, held at the Institute for Mathematics and Its Applications at the University of Minnesota, in the spring of 1987. The seminar featured presentations by some of the top experts working in this area. Their contributions to this volume form an excellent overview of the mathematical and computational problems arising in this area.
