Method and system for automatic detection and identification of ESD (Electro-Static Discharge) device

Abstract

The invention discloses a method for automatic detection and identification of ESD devices, and the method comprises the following steps: importing a plurality of GDS layouts needing to be detected and identified, carrying out the automatic identification of the ESD devices in each GDS layout, and enabling an automatic identification mode to obtain the corresponding ESD devices through searching an ESD identification layer, or screening all the devices through the device names to obtain corresponding ESD devices; finding an electrode corresponding to the ESD device through logical operation, and marking the electrode; and a region is selected at the electrode, and logic operation is carried out on the region and the metal layer to verify the marked position, so that all ESD devices are correctly marked. The processing speed and accuracy of ESD device identification can be remarkably improved, human errors are reduced, and the overall quality and reliability of integrated circuit design are improved. In addition, the method supports processing of large-scale integrated circuit layouts, and is suitable for IC designs with various complexities.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of circuit design, and in particular relates to a method and system for automatic detection and identification of ESD devices. Background Art

[0002] In the design process of integrated circuits (ICs), marking electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection is an essential part to prevent damage caused by electrostatic discharge during manufacturing or use. Usually, ESD protection devices need to be correctly identified and placed in the IC layout. However, existing methods often rely on designers to manually identify and mark these ESD devices. This process is not only time-consuming and error-prone, but also difficult to guarantee the efficiency and accuracy of manual identification of ESD devices, especially in complex IC layouts. Summary of the invention

[0003] The technical purpose of the present invention is to provide a method and system for automatic detection and identification of ESD devices, so as to solve the problems of low efficiency and time-consuming labeling in the prior art.

[0004] To solve the above problems, the technical solution of the present invention is: A method for automatic detection and identification of ESD devices, comprising the following steps: Import several GDS layouts that need to be tested and marked, and automatically identify the ESD devices in each GDS layout. The automatic identification method includes finding the ESD identification layer to obtain the corresponding ESD device, or filtering all devices by device name to obtain the corresponding ESD device; Find the electrode corresponding to the ESD device through logical operation and mark it at the electrode; An area is framed at the electrode and logically mapped to the metal layer to verify the marked position, ensuring that all ESD devices are correctly identified.

[0005] The automatic identification of ESD devices in each GDS layout specifically includes the following steps: Traverse each level in each GDS layout layer by layer, judge each level until the bottom layer corresponding to the GDS layout is found, and find the unit name of each leaf_cell at the bottom layer, and then realize automatic recognition, where leaf_cell is the bottom-level inseparable unit structure in the GDS layout.

[0006] Furthermore, the ESD identification layer is a layer of layer information used for marking in integrated circuit design. The layer marking information of the ESD device in the ESD identification layer is different from that of other devices. The corresponding ESD device is found based on the layer marking information, and then the identification step is entered.

[0007] Furthermore, if the ESD identification layer does not exist, the devices with the character string "ESD" in the device name are screened to obtain the corresponding ESD devices, and then enter the identification step.

[0008] The specific method of finding the electrode corresponding to the ESD device through logical operation is as follows: conditional screening is performed through the found ESD device and the associated levels to obtain the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the ESD device.

[0009] Among them, the marking at the electrode is specifically as follows: The M1_TEXT layer is used to mark the positive and negative electrodes of the ESD device and make identification. The M1_TEXT layer is a layer in the GDS layout, which records the positive and negative electrode position information corresponding to the ESD device.

[0010] The verification of the marked position is specifically as follows: Select an area at the electrode marked by the ESD device. The area is located at the electrode and is a square with a size of 1nm*1nm. Perform an "AND" operation on the area and the metal layer. If it is true, the two overlap, and the layout after the ESD device is marked is batch saved as a new GDS layout file; otherwise, if it is false, the two do not overlap, delete the marking information and the unit name of each leaf_cell, and jump to the step of automatic identification of the ESD device.

[0011] A system for automatic detection and identification of ESD devices, using the above method for automatic detection and identification of ESD devices, comprising: The input module is configured to import several GDS layouts that need to be detected and marked, and parse their hierarchical structures; The identification module is configured to automatically identify the ESD devices in each GDS layout, obtain the corresponding ESD devices by searching the ESD identification layer, or obtain the corresponding ESD devices by screening all devices by device name; The identification module is configured to find the electrode corresponding to the ESD device through logical operation and identify the electrode; The inspection module is configured to select an area at the electrode, perform a logic operation on the area and the metal layer to verify the marked position, thereby ensuring that all ESD devices are correctly identified.

[0012] An electronic device includes a processor and a memory. The memory stores computer instructions that can be run on the processor. The processor is used to call the computer instructions in the memory to execute the above-mentioned method for automatic detection and identification of ESD devices.

[0013] A storage medium is used to store computer instructions. When the computer instructions are executed, the device where the storage medium is located is controlled to execute the above-mentioned method for automatic detection and identification of ESD devices.

[0014] Due to the adoption of the above technical solution, the present invention has the following advantages and positive effects compared with the prior art: The present invention provides a method and system for automatic detection and identification of ESD devices, which can significantly improve the processing speed and accuracy of ESD device identification, reduce human errors, and improve the overall quality and reliability of integrated circuit design. In addition, the present invention supports processing large-scale integrated circuit layouts and is suitable for IC designs of various complexities. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment.The drawings are only for the purpose of illustrating the preferred embodiments and are not to be construed as limiting the invention.

[0016] Figure 1 The present invention is a flowchart of a method for automatic detection and identification of ESD devices. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the specific implementation methods of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings and other implementation methods can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0018] In order to simplify the drawings, only the parts related to the present invention are schematically shown in each figure, and they do not represent the actual structure of the product. In addition, in order to simplify the drawings and facilitate understanding, in some figures, only one of the parts with the same structure or function is schematically drawn or marked. In this article, "one" not only means "only one", but also means "more than one".

[0019] The following is a further detailed description of a method and system for automatic detection and identification of ESD devices proposed by the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. The advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description and claims.

[0020] See also Figure 1 This embodiment provides a method for automatic detection and identification of ESD devices, including the following steps: Batch import several GDS layouts that need to be detected and identified, traverse each level in each GDS layout layer by layer, and judge each level until the bottom layer corresponding to the GDS layout is found. The unit name of each leaf_cell is obtained at the bottom layer, and then automatic identification is achieved. Among them, the GDS layout file is generally a hierarchical structure. The leaf_cell referred to in this embodiment refers to the indivisible unit structure in the bottom layer of the GDS. The above steps are obtained by looping through the hierarchical structure layer by layer through the corresponding code.

[0021] Then, the ESD devices in each GDS layout are automatically identified. It is necessary to determine whether there is an ESD identification layer. If there is, go directly to the next step. Among them, the ESD identification layer is a layer of layer information used for marking in integrated circuit design. The layer marking information of the ESD device in the ESD identification layer is different from other devices and is defined by layer number and data type, such as (10, 0) 10----layer number, 0----datatype. The information of different layers in the GDS layout is distinguished by different layer numbers and data type numbers to form a one-to-one correspondence. Therefore, the corresponding ESD device can be found through the layer marking information, and then the identification step is entered. On the contrary, if there is no marked ESD identification layer, that is, the ESD device cannot be found from the redundant layer information, it is necessary to filter all devices by device name to obtain the corresponding ESD device. The search logic is to filter the devices with the string "ESD" in the device name to obtain the corresponding ESD device, and then enter the identification step.

[0022] In the identification step, the electrode corresponding to the ESD device is found through logical operations, and the electrode is identified. Specifically, the ESD device found and the associated layers are used for conditional screening to obtain the positive and negative electrodes of the ESD device. Here is an example: Taking ESD-MOSFET as an example, the positive electrode is found through the "AND" relationship between the ESD identification layer and the N+ heavily doped layer, the metal layer and the SAB layer. For the negative electrode, (ESD & N+ & Active Region & Metal Layer NOT SAB) is used to identify the negative electrode. Taking ESD-Diode as an example, the positive electrode can be found through ESD & P+, or the negative electrode can be found through ESD & N+. In the case where there is no ESD identification layer, more complex logical calculations are required for searching. Through similar logical operations, the electrode area that meets the requirements can be found, and an electrode label can be marked at any point in the area.

[0023] The specific process of identification is: use the M1_TEXT layer to mark the positive and negative poles of the ESD device and make a mark. The M1_TEXT layer is similar to the previous ESD identification layer. It is also a layer in the GDS layout, which records the positive and negative position information corresponding to the ESD device. The layers of all layout files are composed of two groups of numbers: layer number and data type. The purpose of marking is to mark the positive and negative poles of the device, so that it is convenient to add corresponding excitation signals to the positive and negative poles in subsequent simulations. Originally, it was necessary to manually mark the devices one by one, which was very time-consuming from manual device identification to manual marking.

[0024] Then, an area will be selected at the electrode, and this area is obtained after the marking. The operation is to generate a 1nm*1nm square at the electrode. Perform an "AND" operation on this area and the metal layer. If it is true, there is an overlap between the two, indicating that the marking is successful, and the layout after the ESD device is marked is batch saved as a new GDS layout file. On the contrary, if it is false, there is no overlap between the two, indicating that the marking failed, delete the electrode label (that is, the marking information) and the unit name of each leaf_cell, and jump to the ESD device for automatic identification. Among them, each leaf_cell unit will be saved in a "dictionary". When the check result is no, the name of the above unit will be deleted from the dictionary.

[0025] Preferably, this embodiment provides a system for automatic detection and identification of ESD devices, which applies the method for automatic detection and identification of ESD devices as in Example 1, and mainly includes the following modules: an input module, a recognition module, a marking module, and an inspection module.

[0026] Among them, the input module is used to receive several GDS layouts that need to be tested and identified, and parse their hierarchical structures. The identification module is used to automatically identify the ESD devices in each GDS layout, so as to find the leaf cell at the bottom layer, and then find the ESD identification layer to obtain the corresponding ESD device, or filter all devices by device name to obtain the corresponding ESD device. The identification module is used to find the electrode corresponding to the ESD device through logical operation, and identify the electrode to ensure that the device is correctly identified and marked. The inspection module is used to select an area at the electrode, perform logical operation on the area and the metal layer to check the marked position, so as to ensure that all ESD devices are correctly identified.

[0027] Preferably, this embodiment provides an electronic device, which includes a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores computer instructions that can be executed on the processor, and the processor is used to call the computer instructions in the memory to execute the method for automated detection and identification of ESD devices such as Example 1.

[0028] Preferably, this embodiment provides a storage medium, the storage medium is used to store computer instructions, and when the computer instructions are executed, the device where the storage medium is located is controlled to execute the method for automatic detection and identification of ESD devices as in Example 1.

[0029] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Even if various changes are made to the present invention, if these changes fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention and their equivalents, they still fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for automated detection and identification of ESD devices, characterized in that: The steps include: Import several GDS layouts that need to be tested and marked, and automatically identify the ESD devices in each GDS layout. The automatic identification method includes finding the ESD identification layer to obtain the corresponding ESD device, or filtering all devices by device name to obtain the corresponding ESD device; Find the electrode corresponding to the ESD device through logical operation and mark it at the electrode; An area is selected at the electrode and a logical operation is performed on the area and the metal layer to verify the marked position, thereby ensuring that all ESD devices are correctly identified.

2. The method for automatic detection and identification of ESD devices according to claim 1, characterized in that: The automatic identification of ESD devices in each GDS layout specifically includes the following steps: Traverse each level in each GDS layout layer by layer, judge each level until the bottom layer corresponding to the GDS layout is found, and find the unit name of each leaf_cell at the bottom layer, and then realize automatic recognition, where leaf_cell is the bottom-level inseparable unit structure in the GDS layout.

3. The method for automatic detection and identification of ESD devices according to claim 2, characterized in that: The ESD identification layer is a layer of layer information used for marking in integrated circuit design. The layer marking information of the ESD device in the ESD identification layer is different from that of other devices. The corresponding ESD device is found based on the layer marking information, and then the identification step is entered.

4. The method for automatic detection and identification of ESD devices according to claim 2, characterized in that: If the ESD identification layer does not exist, the devices with the character string "ESD" in the device name are screened to obtain the corresponding ESD devices, and then enter the identification step.

5. The method for automatic detection and identification of ESD devices according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method of finding the electrode corresponding to the ESD device through logical operation specifically includes: performing conditional screening through the found ESD device and the associated levels to obtain the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the ESD device.

6. The method for automatic detection and identification of ESD devices according to claim 5, characterized in that: The marking at the electrode is specifically as follows: The M1_TEXT layer is used to mark the positive and negative electrodes of the ESD device and make identification. The M1_TEXT layer is a layer in the GDS layout, which records the positive and negative electrode position information corresponding to the ESD device.

7. The method for automatic detection and identification of ESD devices according to claim 2, characterized in that: The verification of the marked position is specifically as follows: Select an area at the electrode marked by the ESD device. The area is located at the electrode and is a square with a size of 1nm*1nm. Perform an "AND" operation on the area and the metal layer. If it is true, the two overlap, and the layout after the ESD device is marked is batch saved as a new GDS layout file; otherwise, if it is false, the two do not overlap, delete the marking information and the unit name of each leaf_cell, and jump to the step of automatic identification of the ESD device.

8. A system for automatic detection and identification of ESD devices, using the method for automatic detection and identification of ESD devices as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: include: The input module is configured to import several GDS layouts that need to be detected and marked, and parse their hierarchical structures; The identification module is configured to automatically identify the ESD devices in each GDS layout, obtain the corresponding ESD devices by searching the ESD identification layer, or obtain the corresponding ESD devices by screening all devices by device name; The identification module is configured to find the electrode corresponding to the ESD device through logical operation and identify the electrode; The inspection module is configured to select an area at the electrode, perform a logic operation on the area and the metal layer to verify the marked position, thereby ensuring that all ESD devices are correctly identified.

9. An electronic device, characterized in that: The electronic device includes a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores computer instructions that can be executed on the processor, and the processor is used to call the computer instructions in the memory to execute the method for automatic detection and identification of ESD devices as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. A storage medium, characterized in that: The storage medium is used to store computer instructions, wherein when the computer instructions are executed, the device where the storage medium is located is controlled to execute the method for automatic detection and identification of ESD devices according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

Images