netlistconsistent

Netlistconsistent refers to the quality and coherence of a circuit netlist across different representations and stages of an electronic design workflow. It describes the property that nets, their names, and their connections are consistently defined in schematic-derived netlists, layout netlists, and simulation models, preventing discrepancies that could lead to errors in simulation, fabrication, or later verification steps.

Maintaining netlist consistency helps avoid problems such as unconnected pins, mismatched node names, duplicate nets, orphan nets, or mismatched component references. It also covers consistency across hierarchical boundaries, ensuring that bus widths, net labels, and device parameters remain aligned when a design is partitioned into subcircuits or imported from different tools.

Common checks associated with netlist consistency include ensuring each component pin is tied to a defined net (or explicitly declared floating where allowed), verifying that nets referenced in one representation exist in others, and confirming that net names and hierarchical scoping are stable and unique. Additional checks may examine the alignment of bus and vector widths, model references, and parameter values across netlists. Netlist consistency is typically addressed as part of linting, static verification, and equivalence checks within verification, validation, and signoff workflows.

Related concepts include layout-versus-schematic verification, which compares a physical layout netlist to a schematic netlist to ensure fidelity. While netlist consistency focuses on coherent naming and connectivity across representations, LVS specifically targets correspondence between layout and schematic implementations. Netlist consistency is a foundational quality control step in both IC and PCB design processes to improve reliability and reduce downstream errors.