Electric can compare two different cells and determine whether their networks have the same topology. This operation is sometimes called Layout vs. Schematic (LVS), but because Electric can compare any two circuits (including two layouts or two schematics) we use the term Network Consistency Checking (NCC).

The Java Electric NCC differs from the C Electric NCC in two significant ways.

- The Java Electric NCC firsts attempts to discover circuit mismatches using a new algorithm called "Local Partitioning". We do this because Local Partitioning provides much more precise and intelligible mismatch diagnostics. We fall back upon the Gemini algorithm (Ebeling, Carl, "GeminiII: A Second Generation Layout Validation Program", Proceedings of ICCAD 1988, p322-325.) only as a last resort. In practice upwards of 95% of all errors are found by Local Partitioning.
- The Java Electric NCC has a "hierarchical" mode. When comparing a cell hierarchically, NCC first tries to compare the cell's descendants. We strongly recommend this mode to the user because it allows the Local Partitioning algorithm to provide even more precise and intelligible mismatch diagnostics.

The Java Electric NCC is also significantly faster than the C Electric NCC. For example, for one of our chips, C-NCC flat took 48 minutes, Java-NCC flat took 3.5 minutes, and Java-NCC hierarchical took 9 seconds.

#### New body connection checking (Version 8.09b onwards)

This version of NCC can now optionally check that transistor bodies are properly connected. See the description of the NCC preferences dialog.

#### Example

For an example of network consistency checking, open the Samples library with the Load Sample Cells Library command (in menu Help) and compare the cells "tool-NCC{lay}" and "tool-NCC{sch}". These two cells are equivalent and the checker will find them to be so.