Connection method of hard macro cell power supply pins, computer program product and medium

Abstract

The invention provides a hard macro cell power supply pin connection method, a computer program product and a medium, and relates to the technical field of power supply pin connection. And arranging patch cords and / or ring structures for the hard macro cells according to the information of the power supply pins of the hard macro cells. And based on the specific layout conditions of the patch cord and the ring structure, connecting the hard macro unit power supply pin, the patch cord and the ring structure in a preset mode. According to the invention, the physical structure of the power supply pin does not need to be modified in the hard macro cell, and the power supply connection of the hard macro cell with different power supply pin structures can be completed. The power supply connection of the hard macro unit is realized in each feasible direction, and the robustness of the power supply connection is ensured. Besides, the power supply pins are arranged and connected, and then are connected with different types of power supplies through the patch cord and / or the ring structure, so that the power supply connection of the hard macro cell can be completed in different power supply connection environments, and a better connection effect is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of power pin connection, and in particular to a method for connecting power pins of a hard macro unit, a computer program product, and a computer-readable medium. Background Art

[0002] The chip includes macro units, which can be divided into hard macro units and soft macro units. Hard macro units refer to specific functional modules that have been pre-implemented logically and physically and can be directly called, including phase-locked loops (PLLs), memories (MEMs), analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), etc.

[0003] In current chip integrated circuits, the power connection structure is mainly a conventional power supply connection structure, and the power pins of different hard macro units have different shapes. The conventional power supply connection structure with a single structure in the chip is generally unable to complete the power connection of the hard macro unit. A power connection method for the hard macro unit is needed to connect the power pins of the hard macro unit to the corresponding power supply while ensuring the integrity of the power connection.

[0004] However, existing power supply connection methods for hard macro cells mostly rely solely on conventional power supplies, without considering special power supply scenarios. The few methods that do consider special power supply scenarios involve modifying the physical structure of the power pins within the hard macro cells. Modifying the physical structure can easily lead to design rule violations, short circuits, and even malfunction of the hard macro cells. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Based on the above problems, the present invention is proposed to provide a method for connecting power pins of a hard macro cell, a computer program product, and a computer-readable medium that overcome the above problems or at least partially solve the above problems.

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a method for connecting power pins of a hard macro unit, the method comprising:

[0007] Arranging a patch cord and / or a ring structure for the hard macro unit according to information about the power pin of the hard macro unit;

[0008] Based on the specific layout of the adapter wire and the ring structure, the hard macro unit power pin, the adapter wire, and the ring structure are connected in a preset manner.

[0009] Optionally, according to information of the power pin of the hard macro unit, laying out a patch cord and / or a ring structure for the hard macro unit includes:

[0010] Determining layout conditions based on the metal layer information occupied by the power pin of the hard macro unit, the wiring resource information above the metal layer, and the metal pattern information;

[0011] According to the condition that the hard macro unit satisfies the layout condition, only the patch line is laid out on the hard macro unit, or only the ring structure is laid out, or at least one of laying out the patch line, laying out the ring structure, and laying out both the patch line and the ring structure is selected;

[0012] Wherein, if the adapter line and the ring structure are laid out at the same time, the adapter line and the ring structure are connected through an extension line structure.

[0013] Optionally, the deployment conditions include: a first condition and a second condition; and depending on whether the hard macro unit satisfies the deployment conditions, deploying only the patch line, or deploying only the ring structure, or selecting at least one of deploying the patch line, deploying the ring structure, or deploying both the patch line and the ring structure, for the hard macro unit, including:

[0014] If the hard macro unit only meets the first condition, only the patch cord is arranged on the hard macro unit;

[0015] If the hard macro unit only satisfies the second condition, only the ring structure is arranged on the hard macro unit;

[0016] If the hard macro unit satisfies both the first condition and the second condition, a patch cord or a ring structure is arranged on the hard macro unit, or both the patch cord and the ring structure are arranged;

[0017] The first condition is that: the power pin of the hard macro unit does not occupy the highest routable metal layer, the metal pattern is not covered, and there is a metal layer for wiring above it, and the metal pattern is evenly distributed in the area of the hard macro unit, and the metal pattern meets the design rules;

[0018] The second condition is that the metal pattern is distributed at the boundary of the hard macro cell, or the metal pattern is not distributed at the boundary of the hard macro cell but can extend to the boundary, and the metal pattern meets the design rule.

[0019] Optionally, only the patch cord is arranged on the hard macro unit, or the patch cord is selectively arranged on the hard macro unit, including:

[0020] If the power pin of the hard macro unit does not occupy the highest routable metal layer, the metal pattern is not covered, and there is a metal layer for wiring above it, the metal pattern is distributed within the hard macro unit, has a single direction and can cover the connection hole, and its area meets the preset requirements, then at least one metal layer is selected above the hard macro unit, and the adapter wire is laid out according to preset specifications, with one side of the adapter wire connected to the metal pattern and the other side connected to the power supply corresponding to the hard macro unit;

[0021] The wiring direction of the bottom layer of the at least one selected metal layer is orthogonal to the main direction of the metal pattern, the wiring direction of the top layer is orthogonal to the power supply, and the wiring directions of adjacent layers are orthogonal to each other.

[0022] Optionally, laying out the patch cord according to preset specifications includes:

[0023] Determine a minimum wiring unit of each selected metal layer, the minimum wiring unit comprising: at least one metal line, the metal line corresponding to a logic power line of the power port;

[0024] The metal lines corresponding to different logic power lines are staggered, and the line width and spacing between each metal line, as well as the connection with the connection hole meet the design rules;

[0025] The spacing between adjacent minimum wiring units meets the design rules;

[0026] In each selected metal layer, the minimum wiring units are periodically arranged according to their corresponding minimum wiring units;

[0027] In the process of periodically arranging and laying out the minimum wiring unit on any metal layer, if there is a signal line layout requirement in the metal layer above the hard macro unit, wiring is performed according to the wiring track or the wiring area formed after laying out the minimum wiring unit is reduced;

[0028] In the process of periodically arranging and laying out the minimum wiring unit on any metal layer, if there is no signal line layout requirement in the metal layer above the hard macro unit, the minimum wiring unit is laid out with the maximum line width and the minimum spacing according to the design rules;

[0029] After the minimum wiring unit is laid out, it is determined whether the wiring area meets the area ratio requirement. If not, the specification of the minimum wiring unit needs to be readjusted until the wiring area meets the area ratio requirement.

[0030] Optionally, only the ring structure is arranged for the hard macro unit, or the ring structure is selectively arranged for the hard macro unit, including:

[0031] selecting a target direction for the hard macrocell based on the physical position of the metal pattern in the hard macrocell and the physical position of the power supply corresponding to the hard macrocell, wherein the target direction means that when the ring structure is arranged in the target direction, the distance between the ring structure and the metal pattern and the power supply is closer than when the ring structure is arranged in other directions;

[0032] Arranging the ring structure in the target direction according to a preset rule;

[0033] The preset rules include: if one or more ring structures are arranged, no short circuit occurs when connecting the inner and outer sides of each ring structure, and each ring structure cannot block the signal line connection at the signal pin lead-out point;

[0034] If one ring structure is laid out on one metal layer or one ring structure is laid out corresponding to one logic power line, and the current requirement corresponding to the power port cannot be met, multiple metal layers are used to lay out multiple ring structures, or multiple ring structures are laid out corresponding to one logic power line;

[0035] The line width of the ring structure cannot exceed the requirements of the design rules, nor be less than the target requirements, wherein the target requirements are to meet the connection hole requirements and power supply capabilities without generating electromigration violations;

[0036] The spacing between the ring structure and the hard macro unit and the internal spacing of the ring structure meet the design rules;

[0037] If the ring structures corresponding to the same logic power line are not on the same metal layer, connection holes must be made in the area of the corresponding intersection points.

[0038] Optionally, arranging the patch cord and the ring structure on the hard macro unit includes:

[0039] Select at least one metal layer above the hard macro unit, lay out the adapter wire according to preset specifications, one side of the adapter wire is connected to the metal pattern, and the other side is connected to the power supply corresponding to the hard macro unit;

[0040] selecting a target direction for the hard macrocell based on the physical position of the metal pattern in the hard macrocell and the physical position of the power supply corresponding to the hard macrocell, wherein the target direction means that when the ring structure is arranged in the target direction, the distance between the ring structure and the metal pattern and the power supply is closer than when the ring structure is arranged in other directions;

[0041] Arranging the ring structure in the target direction according to a preset rule;

[0042] The wiring direction of the bottom layer of the at least one selected metal layer is orthogonal to the main direction of the metal pattern, the wiring direction of the top layer is orthogonal to the structure to be connected, and the wiring directions of adjacent layers are orthogonal to each other;

[0043] Laying out the patch cord according to preset specifications, including:

[0044] Determine a minimum wiring unit of each selected metal layer, the minimum wiring unit comprising: at least one metal line, the metal line corresponding to a logic power line of the power port;

[0045] The metal lines corresponding to different logic power lines are staggered, and the line width and spacing between each metal line, as well as the connection with the connection hole meet the design rules;

[0046] The spacing between adjacent minimum wiring units meets the design rules;

[0047] In each selected metal layer, the minimum wiring units are periodically arranged according to their corresponding minimum wiring units;

[0048] In the process of periodically arranging and laying out the minimum wiring unit on any metal layer, if there is a signal line layout requirement in the metal layer above the hard macro unit, wiring is performed according to the wiring track or the wiring area formed after laying out the minimum wiring unit is reduced;

[0049] In the process of periodically arranging and laying out the minimum wiring unit on any metal layer, if there is no signal line layout requirement in the metal layer above the hard macro unit, the minimum wiring unit is laid out with the maximum line width and the minimum spacing according to the design rules;

[0050] After the minimum wiring unit is laid out, determining whether the wiring area meets the area ratio requirement; if not, readjusting the specification of the minimum wiring unit until the wiring area meets the area ratio requirement;

[0051] Arranging the ring structure according to the preset rule includes: if one or more ring structures are arranged, no short circuit occurs when connecting the inner and outer sides of each ring structure, and each ring structure cannot block the signal line connection at the signal pin lead-out point;

[0052] If one ring structure is laid out on one metal layer or one ring structure is laid out corresponding to one logic power line, and the current requirement corresponding to the power port cannot be met, multiple metal layers are used to lay out multiple ring structures, or multiple ring structures are laid out corresponding to one logic power line;

[0053] The line width of the ring structure cannot exceed the requirements of the design rules, nor be less than the target requirements, wherein the target requirements are to meet the connection hole requirements and power supply capabilities without generating electromigration violations;

[0054] The spacing between the ring structure and the hard macro unit and the internal spacing of the ring structure meet the design rules;

[0055] If the ring structures corresponding to the same logic power line are not on the same metal layer, connection holes must be made in the area of the corresponding intersection points.

[0056] Optionally, based on specific layout of the adapter wire and the ring structure, connecting the hard macro unit power pin, the adapter wire, and the ring structure in a preset manner includes:

[0057] If the adapter line is arranged on the hard macro unit, a connection hole is made at the bottom layer of the metal layer occupied by the adapter line, corresponding to the metal pattern, and a connection hole is made between the metal layers at the area corresponding to the intersection point;

[0058] If the ring structure is arranged for the hard macro unit, a wire is drawn from each metal pattern using a metal wire on the same layer as the metal pattern. The width of the wire is consistent with the width of the corresponding metal pattern. The wire starts from the edge of the metal pattern close to the ring structure corresponding to the same logic power line and ends at the outside of the ring structure corresponding to the same logic power line, so as to form an interlaced area between the wires, and the outside faces away from the hard macro unit. If the wire and the corresponding ring structure are not on the same metal layer, a connection hole is formed in the interlaced area between the wire and the corresponding ring structure line to connect to the corresponding ring structure. If the wire short-circuits, the corresponding ring structure needs to be re-arranged.

[0059] If the adapter line and the ring structure are arranged for the hard macro unit at the same time, a connection hole is made at the position corresponding to the power pin in the bottom layer of the metal layer occupied by the adapter line, and an extension line structure is led out for the adapter line. The width of the extension line structure is consistent with the width of the adapter line. The extension line structure starts from the edge of the ring structure corresponding to the same logic power line in the adapter line and stops at the outside of the ring structure corresponding to the same logic power line. If the extension line structure and the corresponding ring structure are not in the same metal layer, a connection hole is made in the intersecting area of the extension line structure and the corresponding ring structure line to connect to the corresponding ring structure. If the extension line structure produces a short circuit, the corresponding ring structure needs to be rearranged.

[0060] Optionally, it also includes:

[0061] According to the type of power supply corresponding to the hard macro unit, the adapter line and the power supply, or the ring structure and the power supply, or the adapter line, the ring structure and the power supply are connected.

[0062] Optionally, the types include: a conventional power supply and a special power supply; and according to the type of the power supply corresponding to the hard macro unit, connecting the adapter cable and the power supply, or the ring structure and the power supply, or the adapter cable, the ring structure, and the power supply includes:

[0063] If the type is the conventional power supply, connecting the adapter cable to the power supply, or connecting the ring structure to the power supply;

[0064] If the type is the special power supply, the adapter cable and the power supply, or the ring structure and the power supply, or the adapter cable, the ring structure and the power supply are connected.

[0065] Optionally, if the type is the conventional power supply, connecting the adapter cable to the power supply, or connecting the ring structure to the power supply, includes:

[0066] If the adapter line is arranged on the hard macro unit, and there is a wiring corresponding to a conventional power supply above the highest layer of the metal layer occupied by the adapter line and the two are orthogonal, then the connection hole is made at the wiring position corresponding to the power supply on the highest layer;

[0067] If the patch line is laid out for the hard macro unit, and there is no wiring corresponding to the conventional power supply above the highest layer of the metal layer occupied by the patch line, or there is wiring but the two are not orthogonal, then adjust the occupied layer of the patch line and re-lay it out;

[0068] If the ring structure is arranged for the hard macro cell, a target metal line is selected around the ring structure and extended to the inner side of the ring structure, with the inner side facing the hard macro cell. If the target metal line and the ring structure are not in the same metal layer, a connection hole is made in the area corresponding to the intersection of the two. The target metal line is a metal line of a target conventional power supply source, and the target conventional power supply source refers to a conventional power supply source that provides power to the conventional power network corresponding to the standard cells around the hard macro cell and the logic power line corresponding to the ring structure, and the direction of the extended metal line is orthogonal to the direction of the metal line in the ring structure.

[0069] If the extension line of the target metal line is short-circuited with the ring structure corresponding to different logic power lines, a metal line in a metal layer other than the metal layer where the target metal line is located is selected as a new target metal line, or the ring structure is adjusted and re-arranged.

[0070] Optionally, if the type is the special power supply, connecting the adapter cable and the power supply, or connecting the ring structure and the power supply, or connecting the adapter cable, the ring structure and the power supply includes:

[0071] If the adapter is arranged on the hard macro unit and the special power supply is a bump, the highest layer of the metal layer occupied by the adapter is arranged on the layer below the redistribution layer, and the connection hole is made through the redistribution layer and the highest layer;

[0072] If the adapter is arranged on the hard macro unit and the special power supply is not a bump, a ring structure is arranged on the hard macro unit, the adapter is connected to the ring structure, and the special power supply is connected to the non-bump through the ring structure;

[0073] If the ring structure is arranged on the hard macro unit, or the patch cord and the ring structure are arranged at the same time, when the special power supply is the bump, the highest layer of the metal layer occupied by the ring structure is arranged on the layer below the redistribution layer, and the connection hole is made through the redistribution layer and the highest layer. If the highest layer of the patch cord is also the layer below the redistribution layer, the redistribution layer and the patch cord are connected at the same time.

[0074] If the ring structure is arranged on the hard macro unit, or the adapter line and the ring structure are arranged at the same time, when the special power supply is not the bump, the special power supply of the non-bump is connected to the ring structure by a pull line, or the corresponding adapter line is arranged for the special power supply of the non-bump, and the adapter line is connected to the ring structure by a pull line. When making the pull line, if the metal layer occupied by it is not in the same layer as the ring structure, a connection hole is made in the corresponding area of the intersection of the two; if there is a short circuit between the pull line and the ring structure corresponding to the different logic power lines, then the pull line is re-made in a metal layer other than the metal layer where the pull line is located, or the ring structure is adjusted and re-arranged.

[0075] Optionally, a special power supply source other than the protruding block is connected to the ring structure by a pull line, or a corresponding adapter line is arranged for the special power supply source other than the protruding block, and after the adapter line is connected to the ring structure by a pull line, the method further includes:

[0076] A high metal layer is provided in the metal layer occupied by the ring structure, or a pull line is provided in parallel in the redistribution layer to strengthen the connection between the pull line and the ring structure.

[0077] Optionally, according to information of the power pin of the hard macro unit, laying out a patch cord and / or a ring structure for the hard macro unit includes:

[0078] If the metal pattern of the power pin is located in a lower layer of the redistribution layer, and the power supply corresponding to the logic power line is the special power supply, the ring structure is not arranged on the hard macro unit, and a connection hole is directly made at the corresponding position through the redistribution layer to connect the metal pattern to the special power supply;

[0079] If the metal pattern of the power pin is located in the next layer of the redistribution layer, and the power supply corresponding to its logic power line is the conventional power supply, and it cannot be directly connected through the connection hole at the corresponding position of the redistribution layer, then the ring structure is arranged on the hard macro unit, and the metal pattern is connected to the conventional power supply through the ring structure.

[0080] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a computer program product, comprising a computer program, wherein when the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of any one of the methods described in the first aspect are implemented.

[0081] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a computer-readable medium, in which the computer program product according to the third aspect is stored.

[0082] The present invention provides a novel method for connecting hard macro power pins within a chip. This method eliminates the need to modify the physical structure of the hard macro power pins. Instead, it directly deploys adapter wires and / or a ring structure within the hard macro based on the information about the hard macro power pins. The hard macro power pins, adapter wires, and ring structure are then connected using a pre-set method based on the specific deployment of the adapter wires and ring structure, e.g., whether the adapter wires, the ring structure, or both are deployed.

[0083] The above method allows power connections to be established for hard macrocells with different power pin configurations without modifying the physical structure of the power pins within the hard macrocell. Based on the physical structure of the power pins, adapter wires are placed above the hard macrocell, or a ring structure is created around it, or both. This allows power connections to the hard macrocell in all possible directions, ensuring robust power connections. Furthermore, after the power pins are laid out and connected, adapter wires and / or a ring structure are used to connect to different power sources. This allows power connections to the hard macrocell to be established in various power supply connection environments, achieving excellent connection results. The connection method proposed in this invention is highly practical. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0084] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative labor.

[0085] Figure 1 is a flow chart of a method for connecting power pins of a hard macro unit according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0086] Figure 2 is an information diagram of an exemplary hard macro unit power supply pin in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0087] Figure 3 The embodiment of the present invention corresponds to Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a better structural layout of the adapter cable;

[0088] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of a preferred layout ring structure in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0089] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of another preferred arrangement ring structure in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0090] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of an exemplary method of leading out a metal pattern of a hard macro unit power pin and connecting it to a ring structure in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0091] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary method of connecting a patch cord above a hard macro unit to a ring structure in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0092] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary application of connection holes in a hard macro unit power connection structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0093] Figure 9 This is a schematic structural diagram of an exemplary hard macro unit connected to a power supply after deploying a patch cord and a ring structure in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0094] Figure 10 This is a schematic structural diagram of an exemplary hard macro unit in an embodiment of the present invention after a patch cord is laid out and connected to a power supply. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0095] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field based on the embodiments of the present invention without making any creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0096] The inventors discovered that the power supply of the hard macro unit includes: the conventional power supply or special power supply of the chip, the conventional power supply inside the chip, which corresponds to the conventional power line connected to the power supply of most standard units in the chip, usually the general IO (input and output) unit around the chip or the bump structure above the chip; the special power supply inside the chip, which usually corresponds to the exclusive power line of the hard macro unit, such as the IO unit or bump of the power line, and power supply units such as LDO (low-voltage difference linear regulator), etc.

[0097] The inventors further discovered that the current power supply connection method for hard macro cells involves dividing the area above the hard macro cells into several routing units based on routing tracks before wiring. However, if there is no signal line required above the hard macro cells and the hard macro cells themselves have high connection resistance requirements, routing can be done without using tracks. This results in significant limitations for this method.

[0098] Moreover, this method only completes the power connection of the hard macro unit based on the conventional power supply, and makes a connection hole between it and the hard macro exclusive network metal line. It does not include the power connection structure of possible special power supply sources. The hard macro unit may require the connection of special power lines, which is not taken into account in this method.

[0099] Furthermore, for some hard macro cells, the metal pattern distribution of their power pins may not be suitable for routing above the cell. For example, if the power pins are sparsely distributed, or if there are other hard macro structures above the metal pattern of the power pins, this method will not be able to complete the connection properly. Furthermore, this method does not consider whether the physical shape of the metal pattern corresponding to the power pins of the hard macro cell meets the connection hole placement requirements. If not, this method will not be able to complete the power connection properly.

[0100] In the few methods that take special power supply situations into consideration, in order to connect the power pins of the hard macro unit of the special power supply, the physical structure of the power pins of the hard macro unit is modified. This method brings other problems, such as:

[0101] 1) When modifying the physical structure of the power pin inside the hard macro unit, if the hard macro unit is purchased by the designer, the designer may not be able to obtain the complete hard macro unit design and cannot modify the physical structure of its power pin. In this case, this method cannot be used.

[0102] 2) When modifying the physical structure of the power pins within the hard macro unit, it is very easy to cause design rule violations or short circuits between the metal lines added during the modification process and the routing inside the hard macro unit.

[0103] 3) When modifying the physical structure of the power pins within the hard macro unit, after the optimization is completed according to this method, the external environment such as the internal signal lines within the hard macro unit may change. For example, parameters such as parasitic capacitance change, which is very likely to cause the hard macro unit to malfunction.

[0104] To address the above issues, the inventors, after extensive design, research, and testing, have creatively proposed a method for connecting hard macrocell power pins, a computer program product, and a computer-readable medium, which effectively address these issues. The following provides a detailed explanation and description of the technical solutions of the present invention.

[0105] The present invention proposes a method for connecting the power pins of a hard macro unit, referring to Figure 1 The flowchart shown includes:

[0106] Step 101: Arrange a patch cord and / or a ring structure for the hard macro cell according to information about the power pins of the hard macro cell.

[0107] In the industry, the information of the hard macro unit power pin generally includes: the port of the power pin, the metal pattern of the power pin (layer shape), the metal layer (layer) used corresponding to the metal pattern and its shape (shape), physical location, direction, width and spacing, etc.

[0108] Generally, in the power structure inside a hard macro cell, the part that the chip designer wants to connect to the outside world is usually defined by a library exchange format file (LEF). The LEF corresponding to the hard macro cell can be used to obtain:

[0109] ① The port of the hard macro unit power pin, for example: the hard macro unit may have an electrical port vdd and a ground port vss;

[0110] ② The occupied layer of each port of the hard macro unit power pin, for example: the electrical port VDD is led out through the metal pattern of one or several layers;

[0111] ③ The physical location information, direction, width and spacing of each port in the metal pattern of each occupied layer. For example, in the M6 layer, there are graphic units consisting of adjacent parallel rectangular metal patterns of the VDD port and the VSS port, which are periodically distributed in the hard macro unit area.

[0112] ④ In addition to the above, there may also be blocking areas (OBS) of hard macro units. This is because hard macro units may have internal power supply structures or other structures that are not fully reflected in the LEF, and these structures should not be connected to external wire holes or be too close to them. Therefore, these structures are marked with OBS in the corresponding metal layers to indicate the occupied areas, and these areas should be avoided when connecting the power supply.

[0113] The power pin information can be obtained through the above method. Each hard macro unit may have multiple ports, and each power port has a corresponding logical power line. Therefore, the hard macro unit will correspond to multiple logical power lines. While all of these logical power lines may be suitable for achieving power connection using the method of laying out adapters and / or a ring structure proposed in the present invention, some or all of them may not be suitable for achieving power connection using the method proposed in the present invention. As long as there is a logical power line in a port that is suitable for the method proposed in the present invention, the method proposed in the present invention can be used to achieve power connection for that logical power line.

[0114] To better understand the above power pin information, refer to Figure 2 An exemplary information diagram of a hard macro unit power pin is shown. Figure 2 The medium hard macro unit 1 includes: power pins 21 and 22, both of which are long strip metal patterns, assuming they are in M4, and also shows the blocking area OBS. Figure 2 3 is used to represent the blocking area OBS.

[0115] After obtaining the power pin information, a patch cord and / or a ring structure can be arranged for the hard macro cell based on the power pin information of the hard macro cell. In one embodiment of the present invention, a preferred method for determining whether to arrange a patch cord, a ring structure, or both a patch cord and a ring structure for the hard macro cell based on the power pin information of the hard macro cell includes:

[0116] The layout conditions are determined based on the metal layer information occupied by the hard macro cell power pins, the routing resources above them, and the metal pattern information. Depending on whether the hard macro cell meets the layout conditions, the hard macro cell is laid out with only a patch cord, only a ring structure, or at least one of a patch cord, a ring structure, or both. If both a patch cord and a ring structure are laid out, the patch cord and the ring structure are connected via an extension cord.

[0117] Preferably, the layout conditions include: a first condition and a second condition; if the hard macro cell only meets the first condition, only a patch cord is laid out for the hard macro cell; if the hard macro cell only meets the second condition, only a ring structure is laid out for the hard macro cell; if the hard macro cell meets both the first and second conditions, either a patch cord, a ring structure, or both are laid out for the hard macro cell. The first condition is that the power pins of the hard macro cell do not occupy the highest routable metal layer, the metal pattern is not covered, and there is a metal layer for routing above it, and the metal pattern is evenly distributed within the hard macro cell area, and the metal pattern meets the design rules; the second condition is that the metal pattern is distributed at the boundary of the hard macro cell, or the metal pattern is not distributed at the boundary of the hard macro cell but can extend to the boundary, and the metal pattern meets the design rules.

[0118] There are three specific situations:

[0119] The first case: If the power pin of the hard macro unit does not occupy the highest routable metal layer, the metal pattern is not covered, and there is a metal layer for wiring above it, and the metal pattern is evenly distributed in the area of the hard macro unit, and the metal pattern meets the design rules, then the hard macro unit is laid out with a transfer line. It should be noted that the above-mentioned metal pattern is evenly distributed in the area of the hard macro unit, which generally means that the metal pattern is relatively evenly distributed in the area of the hard macro unit, rather than absolutely evenly distributed. These metal patterns are not located at the boundary of the hard macro unit, and they may or may not extend to the boundary, but they all meet the condition that the metal pattern is evenly distributed in the area of the hard macro unit. Metal patterns meeting design rules generally means meeting the design rules of the metal pattern itself; and if the line type of this metal pattern (or extension line) needs to be punched out, then the design rules such as the covering of the hole must be met.

[0120] Case 2: If the hard macrocell power pin occupies the highest routable metal layer, or there is no metal layer for routing above it, or the metal pattern is distributed near the boundary of the hard macrocell and can be extended to the boundary, or the metal pattern meets the design rules, or the metal pattern is sparsely distributed, then a ring structure is laid out for the hard macrocell;

[0121] The third case: If the power pin of the hard macro unit does not occupy the highest routable metal layer, there is a metal layer for wiring above it, and the metal pattern is sparsely distributed or not sparsely distributed, and the width and spacing of the metal pattern meet the design rules, then the hard macro unit is laid out with a patch cord and a ring structure.

[0122] The above three situations are explained and illustrated in detail below.

[0123] For the first case, it is essentially to determine whether to lay out the adapter line. If the power pin of the hard macro unit does not occupy the highest routable metal layer, it can also be considered that the metal pattern occupies the higher metal layer in the hard macro unit. These metal patterns are not covered, and there is a metal layer for wiring above them. These metal patterns are relatively evenly distributed in the hard macro unit, and their direction is single (the single direction here means that most of the metal patterns are horizontal or vertical, and a few are not horizontal or vertical, and the metal pattern direction is considered to be single; if there are multiple directions and each direction has several metal patterns, or nearly half of the metal patterns have one direction and the remaining metal patterns have another direction, the metal pattern direction is not considered to be single) and can cover the connection hole (that is, the width and spacing of the metal pattern can be used for the connection hole), and its area meets the preset requirements (generally until its area occupies more unit area).

[0124] If the information of the power pin meets the above conditions, at least one metal layer is selected above the hard macro unit, and a patch cord is laid out according to preset specifications. One side of the patch cord is connected to the metal pattern, and the other side is connected to the power supply corresponding to the hard macro unit. Among them, the wiring direction of the bottom layer of the at least one selected metal layer should be orthogonal to the main direction of the metal pattern, the wiring direction of the top layer should be orthogonal to the structure of the power supply, and the wiring directions between adjacent layers should be orthogonal to each other. Assuming that only one metal layer is selected to lay the patch cord, then the patch cord must be orthogonal to both the main direction of the metal pattern and the structure of the power supply. If this cannot be met, additional metal layers need to be selected to meet this condition.

[0125] In one embodiment of the present invention, a preferred method for laying out patch cables with preset specifications includes:

[0126] First, determine the minimum wiring unit of each selected metal layer. The minimum wiring unit includes: at least one metal line, which corresponds to a logical power line of the power port; that is, for each logical power line of all the logical power lines corresponding to all the power ports to be connected, there should be at least one metal line corresponding to the logical power line in the wiring unit.

[0127] The metal lines corresponding to different logic power lines are staggered (staggered as evenly as possible; if uniform staggered distribution is not possible, then staggered distribution is sufficient), and the line width of each metal line, the spacing between each other, and the connection with the connection hole need to meet the design rules; and the spacing between adjacent minimum wiring units also needs to meet the design rules.

[0128] On each selected metal layer, minimum wiring units are periodically arranged according to their corresponding minimum wiring units. During the periodic arrangement of minimum wiring units on any metal layer, if signal lines need to be routed above hard macro units in that metal layer, routing can be performed using routing tracks or the routing area formed by the minimum wiring units can be appropriately reduced, thereby reducing the area share. If no signal lines need to be routed above hard macro units in that metal layer, the minimum wiring units can be directly routed according to design rules with maximum line width and minimum spacing.

[0129] After laying out the minimum wiring unit, determine whether the wiring area meets the area ratio requirement (generally refers to: the wiring area is greater than or equal to its area ratio requirement for the hard macro unit area, which can be obtained by dividing the total metal wire area by the hard macro unit area. The area ratio requirement can come from the application requirements of the hard macro unit itself, such as the directly specified area ratio or the area ratio converted from the connection resistance, etc., or can come from empirical data, etc.). If not, the specifications of the minimum wiring unit need to be readjusted until the wiring area meets the aforementioned area ratio requirement.

[0130] To better understand the above wiring situation, refer to Figure 3 The corresponding Figure 2 A structural diagram of a better layout of the adapter cable. Figure 3 For the hard macro unit 1, the power pin 21 corresponds to the logic power line ( Figure 2 ) and the logic power line corresponding to the power pin 22 ( Figure 2 (As shown in the figure), the adapter line to be laid out is connected, and the layers used for the adapter line are the horizontal M6 layer and the vertical M7 layer. 28 and 29 are the metal lines of the logic power line 21 and the logic power line 22 in the M7 layer, and the combination of 28 and 29 can be regarded as the minimum wiring unit of the M7 layer; the minimum wiring unit is arranged periodically to obtain the adapter line of the hard macro unit in the M7 layer; similarly, 31 and 32 are the metal lines of the logic power line 21 and the logic power line 22 in the M6 layer, which are orthogonal to the logic power line 21 and the logic power line 22.

[0131] For the second scenario, the decision is essentially whether to deploy a ring structure. This involves selecting all or part of the top, bottom, left, and right sides of the hard macro cell, selecting one or more routable metal layers, and then constructing the ring structure within each selected layer. Once the ring structure is completed, the inner side can be used to connect to the power pins near the hard macro cell boundary or the adapter cable above the cell, while the outer side can be connected to the power supply.

[0132] The ring structure is based on the physical position of the metal pattern in the hard macro cell and the physical position of the power supply corresponding to the hard macro cell. The target direction of the hard macro cell is selected, and the ring structure is laid out in the target direction according to preset rules. The target direction means that when the ring structure is laid out in this target direction, the distance between it and the metal pattern and the power supply is closer than when the ring structure is laid out in other directions. For example, if the metal pattern of a power port of a hard macro cell is close to the right side of the hard macro cell, and the corresponding power supply is also to the right side of the hard macro cell, then the distance between the right side of the hard macro cell and the metal pattern and the power supply is closer than when the ring structure is laid out in any other direction. Therefore, the right side of the hard macro cell can be regarded as the target direction, and the ring structure can be laid out on the right side of the hard macro cell.

[0133] The preset rules include: if one or more ring structures are arranged, short circuits cannot occur when connecting the inner and outer sides of each ring structure, and each ring structure cannot block the signal line connection at the signal pin lead-out point. If a ring structure is arranged on a metal layer or a ring structure is arranged corresponding to a logic power line, the current requirement corresponding to the power port cannot be met, that is, the current corresponding to the power port is large, and a single ring structure may not be able to meet the current requirement. In this case, multiple metal layers are used to arrange multiple ring structures, or multiple ring structures are arranged corresponding to a logic power line. According to the current information of the hard macro unit power pin, the current requirement can be met by a single ring structure. Of course, if it is not met, additional ring structures can be added.

[0134] The line width of the ring structure cannot exceed the requirements of the design rules, nor can it be less than the target requirements, which is to meet the connection hole requirements and power supply capabilities without causing electromigration violations; that is, the line width of the ring structure must be selected to be of appropriate width. If it is too narrow, it may cause insufficient power supply capacity or electromigration problems, or there may be problems with the inability to connect holes. If it is too wide, there will be design rule violations or problems with occupying too much area. Technical personnel in this field can determine the verified width based on actual needs and design rules.

[0135] The spacing between the ring structure and the hard macrocell, as well as the internal spacing within the ring structure, must also meet design rules. Small values are preferred to avoid taking up too much space. If the ring structures corresponding to the same logic power line are not on the same metal layer, connection holes must be made in the corresponding intersection areas.

[0136] For a better understanding of the above ring structure, refer to Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a preferred layout ring structure is shown. Figure 4In the example, for hard macro unit 1, its power pin has a logic power line to be connected, and a corresponding ring structure needs to be implemented. This is implemented in the horizontal M8 layer and the vertical M9 layer. The ring structure is implemented on all four sides around the hard macro unit 1. In this ring structure, 51 represents the vertical metal line in the M9 layer, and 52 represents the horizontal metal line in the M8 layer. The ring structure can be arranged according to actual needs, and does not have to completely cover the hard macro unit. The area where the ring structure is implemented can be selected as needed. For example Figure 5 As shown, a power ring is implemented on three sides around the hard macro unit 1, in the horizontal M8 layer and the vertical M9 layer. The ring structure is implemented on the top, bottom, and right sides around the hard macro unit 1. In the ring structure, 51 represents the vertical metal line in the M9 layer, and 52 represents the horizontal metal line in the M8 layer. Of course, it can be understood that the ring structure can also be implemented on only one side, for example Figure 5 The medium-hard macro unit 1 has only one vertical metal line 51 on the M9 layer, and no other metal lines.

[0137] For the third case mentioned above, the essence is to determine whether to lay out the patch cord and the ring structure at the same time. If it is determined that the patch cord and the ring structure are to be laid out at the same time, then the above-mentioned methods of laying out the patch cord and the ring structure should be used to lay out both at the same time. In other words:

[0138] At least one metal layer is selected above the hard macro unit and the patch cord is laid out according to preset specifications. At the same time, based on the physical position of the metal pattern in the hard macro unit and the physical position of the power supply corresponding to the hard macro unit, the target direction of the hard macro unit is selected and the ring structure is laid out in the target direction according to preset rules.

[0139] Among them, for laying out the transfer line, the wiring direction of the bottom layer of at least one selected metal layer is orthogonal to the main direction of the metal pattern, the wiring direction of the top layer is orthogonal to the structure to be connected, and the wiring directions between adjacent layers are orthogonal to each other.

[0140] Arranging the patch cord according to preset specifications includes: determining a minimum wiring unit for each selected metal layer, the minimum wiring unit including: at least one metal line, the metal line corresponding to a logic power line of the power port; the metal lines corresponding to different logic power lines are staggered, and the line width and spacing of each metal line, as well as the connection with the connection hole meet the design rules; the spacing between adjacent minimum wiring units meets the design rules; in each selected metal layer, the minimum wiring units are periodically arranged and arranged according to their corresponding minimum wiring units; in the process of periodically arranging the minimum wiring units for any metal layer, if there is a signal line routing requirement above the hard macro unit in the metal layer, the wiring is performed according to the wiring track or the wiring area formed after the minimum wiring unit is arranged is reduced; in the process of periodically arranging the minimum wiring units for any metal layer, if there is no signal line routing requirement above the hard macro unit in the metal layer, the minimum wiring unit is arranged with the maximum line width and minimum spacing according to the design rules; after the minimum wiring unit is arranged, it is determined whether the wiring area meets the area ratio requirement. If not, the specifications of the minimum wiring unit need to be readjusted until the wiring area meets the area ratio requirement.

[0141] The preset rules for laying out ring structures include: if one or more ring structures are laid out, no short circuit shall occur when connecting the inner and outer sides of each ring structure, and each ring structure shall not block the signal line connection at the signal pin lead-out point; if one ring structure is laid out on one metal layer or one ring structure is laid out corresponding to one logic power line, it cannot meet the current requirement corresponding to the power port, then multiple metal layers shall be used to lay out multiple ring structures, or multiple ring structures shall be laid out corresponding to one logic power line; the line width of the ring structure shall not exceed the requirements of the design rules, nor be less than the target requirements; the spacing between the ring structure and the hard macro unit and the internal spacing of the ring structure shall meet the design rules; if the ring structures corresponding to the same logic power line are not on the same metal layer, connection holes shall be made in the area of the corresponding intersection points.

[0142] When laying out the patch cord and ring structure at the same time, you can combine Figure 7 As shown below, combined with Figure 7 The above three situations almost cover the layout corresponding to the possible structures of the power pins of the current hard macro unit. If power pin structures other than the above three situations appear, those skilled in the art can determine which situation the actual situation is close to or meets based on the design rules and decide which layout method to adopt.

[0143] Step 102: Based on the specific layout of the adapter wires and the ring structure, the hard macro unit power pins, the adapter wires, and the ring structure are connected in a preset manner.

[0144] After determining and laying out the specific patch cords and / or ring structures for the hard macro units, the hard macro unit power pins, patch cords, and ring structures are connected in a preset manner based on the specific layout of the patch cords and ring structures.

[0145] In one embodiment of the present invention, a preferred method for connecting the hard macro unit power pins, the adapter wires, and the ring structure in a preset manner includes:

[0146] If a patch cord is laid out for a hard macro unit, a connection hole is made at the location of the metal pattern corresponding to the bottom layer of the metal layer occupied by the patch cord, and a connection hole is made at the area corresponding to the intersection between metal layers;

[0147] If a ring structure is arranged for the hard macro unit, a wire is drawn out from each metal pattern using a metal wire on the same layer as the metal pattern. The width of the wire is consistent with the width of the corresponding metal pattern. The wire starts from the edge of the pattern close to the ring structure corresponding to the same logic power line in the metal pattern and stops at the outside of the ring structure corresponding to the same logic power line to produce an interlaced area between the lines, and the outside faces back to the hard macro unit. If the wire and the corresponding ring structure are not on the same metal layer, a connection hole is made in the interlaced area of the wire and the corresponding ring structure line to connect to the corresponding ring structure. If the wire short-circuit occurs, the corresponding ring structure needs to be readjusted and then rearranged.

[0148] If the adapter line and the ring structure are arranged for the hard macro unit at the same time, a connection hole is made at the position of the power pin corresponding to the bottom layer of the metal layer occupied by the adapter line, and an extension line structure is led out for the adapter line. The width of the extension line structure is consistent with the width of the adapter line. The extension line structure starts from the edge of the ring structure corresponding to the same logic power line in the adapter line and stops at the outside of the ring structure corresponding to the same logic power line. Among them, if the extension line structure and the corresponding ring structure are not in the same metal layer, a connection hole is made in the intersecting area of the extension line structure and the corresponding ring structure line to connect to the corresponding ring structure. If the extension line structure produces a short circuit, the corresponding ring structure needs to be readjusted and then rearranged.

[0149] Reference Figure 6 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an exemplary method of leading out a metal pattern of a hard macro unit power supply pin and connecting it to a ring structure. Figure 6 For the hard macro unit 1, the metal pattern 7 of its power pin is to be connected to the ring structure 41 of the same logic power line, so a metal wire 71 on the same layer as the metal pattern is used to lead the metal pattern of the power pin to the ring structure 41 to complete the connection.

[0150] Reference Figure 7 An exemplary schematic diagram of connecting the patch cord above the hard macro unit to the ring structure is shown. Figure 7In the figure, for hard macrocell 1, patch cables 81 and 82 as well as ring structures 91 and 92 are laid out simultaneously. For a logic power line, the corresponding horizontal patch cable 81 and vertical patch cable 82 each extend into an extension cable structure, extending to connect to the vertical metal wire 91 and horizontal metal wire 92 in the ring structure of the same logic power line. That is, the horizontal patch cable 81 in the patch cable is extended to connect to the vertical metal wire 91 in the ring structure, and the vertical patch cable 82 in the patch cable is extended to connect to the horizontal metal wire 92 in the ring structure.

[0151] As mentioned above, when two metal wires need to be connected but are not in the same metal layer, connection holes need to be made in the area corresponding to the intersection. Generally speaking, making a connection hole refers to the connection achieved through a stacked via structure. If the hard macro unit has a patch cord laid on top, it is necessary to make holes between the layers of the patch cord in the bottom layer of the metal layer occupied by the metal graphic and the patch cord to achieve connection; if there is a ring structure laid in the area around the hard macro unit, and the ring structure is composed of metal wires of different layers, then the metal wire intersecting area needs to be connected by holes; if the metal graphic of the power pin is pulled out to the ring structure, and the pull cord and the ring structure are not in the same metal layer, then the intersecting area of the pull cord and the ring structure needs to be connected by holes; if the patch cord above the hard macro unit is extended to the ring structure, and the patch cord and the ring structure are not in the same metal layer, then the intersecting area of the patch cord and the ring structure needs to be connected by holes.

[0152] Reference Figure 8 A schematic diagram illustrating the use of connection holes within a hard macrocell power connection structure is shown. For hard macrocell 1, it has a metal pattern 25 for lower-level power pins and a metal pattern 26 for higher-level power pins. Metal pattern 25 is drawn out via metal wire 3A and then connected to ring structure 50 through hole 4A. Ring structure 50 is connected to the chip's regular power supply 61, where 61 is a metal wire and 6A is a stacking hole. Metal pattern 26 is connected out via adapter wire 80, which connects to metal pattern 26 and regular power supply 61 via stacking holes 7A and 9A, respectively. This method connects the power pins to the adapter wires and ring structure.

[0153] The power pins of the hard macro cells also need to be connected to the corresponding power supply. Therefore, the connection method proposed in the present invention further includes: connecting the adapter cable to the power supply, or the ring structure to the power supply, or the adapter cable, the ring structure, and the power supply, depending on the type of power supply corresponding to the hard macro cell. That is, if the hard macro cell is equipped with an adapter cable, then the adapter cable and the power supply are connected according to the type of power supply corresponding to the hard macro cell; if the hard macro cell is equipped with a ring structure, then the ring structure and the power supply are connected according to the type of power supply corresponding to the hard macro cell; if the hard macro cell is equipped with both an adapter cable and a ring structure, then the adapter cable, the ring structure, or either one of them is naturally connected to the power supply.

[0154] From the previous description, it can be seen that the power supply types include: conventional power supply and special power supply; if the power supply type is a conventional power supply, the adapter cable and the power supply, or the ring structure and the power supply are connected; if the power supply type is a special power supply, the adapter cable and the power supply, or the ring structure and the power supply, or the adapter cable, the ring structure and the power supply are connected.

[0155] When the power supply type is a conventional power supply, a better method for connecting to the power supply includes: if a patch cord is arranged for the hard macro unit, and there is a wiring corresponding to the conventional power supply above the highest layer of the metal layer occupied by the patch cord and the two are orthogonal, then a connection hole can be directly made at the wiring position corresponding to the power supply on the highest layer.

[0156] If a patch cable is laid out for a hard macro unit, and there is no corresponding conventional power supply wiring above the highest layer of the metal layer occupied by the patch cable, or there is wiring but the two are not orthogonal, the occupied layer of the patch cable needs to be readjusted and re-laid.

[0157] If a ring structure is arranged for the hard macro cell, a target metal wire is selected around the ring structure and extended to the inner side of the ring structure, with the inner side facing the hard macro cell. If the target metal wire and the ring structure are not in the same metal layer, a connection hole is made in the area corresponding to the intersection of the two. The target metal wire is a metal wire of a target conventional power supply. The so-called target conventional power supply refers to a conventional power supply network corresponding to the standard cells around the hard macro cell and providing power for the logic power lines corresponding to the ring structure, and the direction of the extended metal wire is orthogonal to the direction of the metal wire in the ring structure.

[0158] If the extension line of the target metal line is short-circuited with the ring structure corresponding to different logic power lines, a metal line in a metal layer other than the metal layer where the target metal line is located is selected as a new target metal line, or the ring structure corresponding to the extension line is readjusted and re-arranged.

[0159] In the case where the power supply type is a special power supply, a preferred method for connecting to the power supply includes: if a patch cord is laid out for the hard macro unit and the special power supply is a bump, the highest metal layer occupied by the patch cord is laid out on the layer below the redistribution layer (RDL), and a connection hole is made between the redistribution layer and the highest layer.

[0160] If a transfer line is laid out for the hard macro unit and the special power supply is not a bump, for example, it is a non-bump such as LDO, then it is necessary to lay out a ring structure for the hard macro unit (lay out according to the aforementioned ring structure layout method), connect the transfer line to the ring structure, and connect it to the non-bump special power supply through the ring structure.

[0161] If a ring structure is arranged for the hard macro unit, or a transfer line and a ring structure are arranged at the same time (this refers to the situation where the transfer line and the ring structure are arranged at the same time at the beginning, and the situation where only the transfer line is arranged at the beginning, but the ring structure is added later because the power supply is a special power supply), when the special power supply is a bump, the highest layer of the metal layer occupied by the ring structure is arranged on the layer below the redistribution layer, and a connection hole is made between the redistribution layer and the highest layer. If the highest layer of the transfer line is also the layer below the redistribution layer, the redistribution layer and the transfer line are connected at the same time.

[0162] If a ring structure is laid out for the hard macro unit, or a transfer line and a ring structure are laid out at the same time, when the special power supply is not a bump, for example, a non-bump such as an LDO, the non-bump special power supply is connected to the ring structure by a pull line, or the non-bump special power supply is laid out with its corresponding transfer line (that is, the corresponding transfer line is laid out for the special power supply using the aforementioned method of laying transfer lines), and the transfer line is connected to the ring structure by a pull line. When the pull line is made, if the metal layer occupied by it is not in the same layer as the ring structure, a connection hole is made in the corresponding area of the intersection of the two; if there is a short circuit between the pull line and the ring structure corresponding to the different logic power lines, the pull line is re-made in a metal layer other than the metal layer where the pull line is made, or the ring structure corresponding to the pull line is readjusted and re-laid. In addition, the pull line can also be made in a high metal layer in the metal layer occupied by the ring structure, or in parallel in the redistribution layer, thereby strengthening the connection between the pull line and the ring structure.

[0163] In addition, there may be a more special situation: if the metal pattern of the power pin is already located in the next layer of the redistribution layer, and the power supply corresponding to its logic power line is a special power supply, then the ring structure is not laid out for the hard macro unit, but the metal pattern is directly connected to the special power supply by making a connection hole at the corresponding position through the redistribution layer. Of course, in this case, laying out the ring structure is an optional structure, that is, the connection to the special power supply can be achieved by making a connection hole at the corresponding position through the redistribution layer, or the ring structure can be laid out and connected to the special power supply through the ring structure and the redistribution layer. However, if the metal pattern of the power pin is located in the next layer of the redistribution layer, and the power supply corresponding to its logic power line is a conventional power supply, and it cannot be directly connected by making a connection hole at the corresponding position through the redistribution layer, then a ring structure needs to be laid out for the hard macro unit. At this time, the ring structure is no longer an optional structure, but a necessary structure, so that the metal pattern can be connected to the conventional power supply through the ring structure.

[0164] Reference Figure 9 The figure shows a schematic structural diagram of an exemplary hard macro unit connected to a power supply after laying out a patch cord and a ring structure. Figure 9In the figure, for the hard macro unit 1, there is a ring structure, which is connected to the metal pattern 12 and its adapter line 13; 17 represents the metal wire drawn from the power supply, which may come from the conventional power supply or special power supply in the chip. The metal wire 17 is orthogonal to the metal wire 18 in the ring structure. When the metal wire 17 and the metal wire 18 belong to different metal layers, the connection hole is made in the intersecting area of the metal wire 17 and the metal wire 18 ( Figure 9 Not given, please refer to Figure 8 19 represents a metal wire drawn from another power source, which may come from a conventional power source or a special power source in the chip. The metal wire 19 is orthogonal to the metal wire 20 in another ring structure. When the metal wire 19 and the metal wire 20 belong to different metal layers, a connection hole is made in the intersecting area of the metal wire 19 and the metal wire 20 ( Figure 9 Not given, please refer to Figure 8 understand).

[0165] Reference Figure 10 The figure shows a schematic structural diagram of an exemplary hard macro unit connected to a power supply after wiring is arranged. Figure 10 For the hard macro unit 1, there is already a transfer line. 23 represents the highest-level metal line in the transfer line, and 24 represents the metal line pulled out from the power supply, which may come from the conventional power supply or special power supply in the chip. The metal line 23 and the metal line 24 are orthogonal to each other. The metal layer where the metal line 23 is located is higher than the metal line 24. This is achieved by making a connection hole in the intersecting area of the metal line 23 and the metal line 24 ( Figure 10 Not given, please refer to Figure 8 understand).

[0166] Based on the above-mentioned method for connecting power pins of hard macro units, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a computer program product, including a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the method of any one of steps 101 to 102 is implemented.

[0167] Based on the above-mentioned method for connecting power pins of a hard macro unit, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a computer-readable medium in which the above-mentioned computer program product is stored.

[0168] Through the above examples, the present invention's method for connecting hard macro power pins creatively proposes a novel connection method for connecting hard macro power pins in a chip. This method eliminates the need to modify the physical structure of the hard macro power pins within the hard macro. Instead, it directly deploys patch cords and / or a ring structure within the hard macro based on the hard macro power pin information. Subsequently, based on the specific deployment of the patch cords and ring structure (e.g., whether the patch cords, the ring structure, or both are deployed), the hard macro power pins, patch cords, and ring structure are connected using a pre-defined method.

[0169] The above method allows power connections to be established for hard macrocells with different power pin configurations without modifying the physical structure of the power pins within the hard macrocell. Based on the physical structure of the power pins, adapter wires are placed above the hard macrocell, or a ring structure is created around it, or both. This allows power connections to the hard macrocell in all possible directions, ensuring robust power connections. Furthermore, after the power pins are laid out and connected, adapter wires and / or a ring structure are used to connect to different power sources. This allows power connections to the hard macrocell to be established in various power supply connection environments, achieving excellent connection results. The connection method proposed in this invention is highly practical.

[0170] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprises," "includes," or any other variations thereof are intended to encompass non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not explicitly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. In the absence of further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising a ..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus comprising the element.

[0171] The embodiments of the present invention are described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned specific implementation methods. The above-mentioned specific implementation methods are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Under the guidance of the present invention, ordinary technicians in this field can also make many forms without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention and the claims, all of which are protected by the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for connecting power pins of a hard macro unit, characterized in that: The connection method includes: Arranging a patch cord and / or a ring structure for the hard macro unit according to information about the power pin of the hard macro unit; Based on the specific layout of the adapter wire and the ring structure, the hard macro unit power pin, the adapter wire, and the ring structure are connected in a preset manner.

2. The connection method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Arranging a patch cord and / or a ring structure for the hard macro unit according to information of the hard macro unit power pin includes: Determining layout conditions based on the metal layer information occupied by the power pin of the hard macro unit, the wiring resource information above the metal layer, and the metal pattern information; According to the condition that the hard macro unit satisfies the layout condition, only the patch line is laid out on the hard macro unit, or only the ring structure is laid out, or at least one of laying out the patch line, laying out the ring structure, and laying out both the patch line and the ring structure is selected; Wherein, if the adapter line and the ring structure are laid out at the same time, the adapter line and the ring structure are connected through an extension line structure.

3. The connection method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The layout conditions include: a first condition and a second condition; based on whether the hard macro unit satisfies the layout conditions, only the patch line is laid out on the hard macro unit, or only the ring structure is laid out, or at least one of laying out the patch line, laying out the ring structure, and laying out both the patch line and the ring structure is selected, including: If the hard macro unit only meets the first condition, only the patch cord is arranged on the hard macro unit; If the hard macro unit only satisfies the second condition, only the ring structure is arranged on the hard macro unit; If the hard macro unit satisfies both the first condition and the second condition, a patch cord or a ring structure is arranged on the hard macro unit, or both the patch cord and the ring structure are arranged; The first condition is that: the power pin of the hard macro unit does not occupy the highest routable metal layer, the metal pattern is not covered, and there is a metal layer for wiring above it, and the metal pattern is evenly distributed in the area of the hard macro unit, and the metal pattern meets the design rules; The second condition is that the metal pattern is distributed at the boundary of the hard macro cell, or the metal pattern is not distributed at the boundary of the hard macro cell but can extend to the boundary, and the metal pattern meets the design rule.

4. The connection method according to claim 3, characterized in that: Only arranging the patch cord for the hard macro unit, or selectively arranging the patch cord for the hard macro unit, includes: If the power pin of the hard macro unit does not occupy the highest routable metal layer, the metal pattern is not covered, and there is a metal layer for wiring above it, the metal pattern is distributed within the hard macro unit, has a single direction and can cover the connection hole, and its area meets the preset requirements, then at least one metal layer is selected above the hard macro unit, and the adapter wire is laid out according to preset specifications, with one side of the adapter wire connected to the metal pattern and the other side connected to the power supply corresponding to the hard macro unit; The wiring direction of the bottom layer of the at least one selected metal layer is orthogonal to the main direction of the metal pattern, the wiring direction of the top layer is orthogonal to the power supply, and the wiring directions of adjacent layers are orthogonal to each other.

5. The connection method according to claim 4, characterized in that: Laying out the patch cord according to preset specifications, including: Determine a minimum wiring unit of each selected metal layer, the minimum wiring unit comprising: at least one metal line, the metal line corresponding to a logic power line of the power port; The metal lines corresponding to different logic power lines are staggered, and the line width and spacing between each metal line, as well as the connection with the connection hole meet the design rules; The spacing between adjacent minimum wiring units meets the design rules; In each selected metal layer, the minimum wiring units are periodically arranged according to their corresponding minimum wiring units; In the process of periodically arranging and laying out the minimum wiring unit on any metal layer, if there is a signal line layout requirement in the metal layer above the hard macro unit, wiring is performed according to the wiring track or the wiring area formed after laying out the minimum wiring unit is reduced; In the process of periodically arranging and laying out the minimum wiring unit on any metal layer, if there is no signal line layout requirement in the metal layer above the hard macro unit, the minimum wiring unit is laid out with the maximum line width and the minimum spacing according to the design rules; After the minimum wiring unit is laid out, it is determined whether the wiring area meets the area ratio requirement. If not, the specification of the minimum wiring unit needs to be readjusted until the wiring area meets the area ratio requirement.

6. The connection method according to claim 3, characterized in that: Arranging only the ring structure for the hard macro unit, or selectively arranging the ring structure for the hard macro unit, includes: selecting a target direction for the hard macrocell based on the physical position of the metal pattern in the hard macrocell and the physical position of the power supply corresponding to the hard macrocell, wherein the target direction means that when the ring structure is arranged in the target direction, the distance between the ring structure and the metal pattern and the power supply is closer than when the ring structure is arranged in other directions; Arranging the ring structure in the target direction according to a preset rule; The preset rules include: if one or more ring structures are arranged, no short circuit occurs when connecting the inner and outer sides of each ring structure, and each ring structure cannot block the signal line connection at the signal pin lead-out point; If one ring structure is laid out on one metal layer or one ring structure is laid out corresponding to one logic power line, and the current requirement corresponding to the power port cannot be met, multiple metal layers are used to lay out multiple ring structures, or multiple ring structures are laid out corresponding to one logic power line; The line width of the ring structure cannot exceed the requirements of the design rules, nor be less than the target requirements, wherein the target requirements are to meet the connection hole requirements and power supply capabilities without generating electromigration violations; The spacing between the ring structure and the hard macro unit and the internal spacing of the ring structure meet the design rules; If the ring structures corresponding to the same logic power line are not on the same metal layer, connection holes must be made in the area of the corresponding intersection points.

7. The connection method according to claim 3, characterized in that: Arranging the patch cord and the ring structure on the hard macro unit includes: Select at least one metal layer above the hard macro unit, lay out the adapter wire according to preset specifications, one side of the adapter wire is connected to the metal pattern, and the other side is connected to the power supply corresponding to the hard macro unit; selecting a target direction for the hard macrocell based on the physical position of the metal pattern in the hard macrocell and the physical position of the power supply corresponding to the hard macrocell, wherein the target direction means that when the ring structure is arranged in the target direction, the distance between the ring structure and the metal pattern and the power supply is closer than when the ring structure is arranged in other directions; Arranging the ring structure in the target direction according to a preset rule; The wiring direction of the bottom layer of the at least one selected metal layer is orthogonal to the main direction of the metal pattern, the wiring direction of the top layer is orthogonal to the structure to be connected, and the wiring directions of adjacent layers are orthogonal to each other; Laying out the patch cord according to preset specifications, including: Determine a minimum wiring unit of each selected metal layer, the minimum wiring unit comprising: at least one metal line, the metal line corresponding to a logic power line of the power port; The metal lines corresponding to different logic power lines are staggered, and the line width and spacing between each metal line, as well as the connection with the connection hole meet the design rules; The spacing between adjacent minimum wiring units meets the design rules; In each selected metal layer, the minimum wiring units are periodically arranged according to their corresponding minimum wiring units; In the process of periodically arranging and laying out the minimum wiring unit on any metal layer, if there is a signal line layout requirement in the metal layer above the hard macro unit, wiring is performed according to the wiring track or the wiring area formed after laying out the minimum wiring unit is reduced; In the process of periodically arranging and laying out the minimum wiring unit on any metal layer, if there is no signal line layout requirement in the metal layer above the hard macro unit, the minimum wiring unit is laid out with the maximum line width and the minimum spacing according to the design rules; After the minimum wiring unit is laid out, determining whether the wiring area meets the area ratio requirement; if not, readjusting the specification of the minimum wiring unit until the wiring area meets the area ratio requirement; Arranging the ring structure according to the preset rule includes: if one or more ring structures are arranged, no short circuit occurs when connecting the inner and outer sides of each ring structure, and each ring structure cannot block the signal line connection at the signal pin lead-out point; If one ring structure is laid out on one metal layer or one ring structure is laid out corresponding to one logic power line, and the current requirement corresponding to the power port cannot be met, multiple metal layers are used to lay out multiple ring structures, or multiple ring structures are laid out corresponding to one logic power line; The line width of the ring structure cannot exceed the requirements of the design rules, nor be less than the target requirements, wherein the target requirements are to meet the connection hole requirements and power supply capabilities without generating electromigration violations; The spacing between the ring structure and the hard macro unit and the internal spacing of the ring structure meet the design rules; If the ring structures corresponding to the same logic power line are not on the same metal layer, connection holes must be made in the area of the corresponding intersection points.

8. The connection method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Based on the specific layout of the adapter wire and the ring structure, the hard macro unit power pin, the adapter wire, and the ring structure are connected in a preset manner, including: If the adapter line is arranged on the hard macro unit, a connection hole is made at the bottom layer of the metal layer occupied by the adapter line, corresponding to the metal pattern, and a connection hole is made between the metal layers at the area corresponding to the intersection point; If the ring structure is arranged for the hard macro unit, a wire is drawn from each metal pattern using a metal wire on the same layer as the metal pattern. The width of the wire is consistent with the width of the corresponding metal pattern. The wire starts from the edge of the metal pattern close to the ring structure corresponding to the same logic power line and ends at the outside of the ring structure corresponding to the same logic power line, so as to form an interlaced area between the wires, and the outside faces away from the hard macro unit. If the wire and the corresponding ring structure are not on the same metal layer, a connection hole is formed in the interlaced area between the wire and the corresponding ring structure line to connect to the corresponding ring structure. If the wire short-circuits, the corresponding ring structure needs to be re-arranged. If the adapter line and the ring structure are arranged for the hard macro unit at the same time, a connection hole is made at the position corresponding to the power pin in the bottom layer of the metal layer occupied by the adapter line, and an extension line structure is led out for the adapter line. The width of the extension line structure is consistent with the width of the adapter line. The extension line structure starts from the edge of the ring structure corresponding to the same logic power line in the adapter line and stops at the outside of the ring structure corresponding to the same logic power line. If the extension line structure and the corresponding ring structure are not in the same metal layer, a connection hole is made in the intersecting area of the extension line structure and the corresponding ring structure line to connect to the corresponding ring structure. If the extension line structure produces a short circuit, the corresponding ring structure needs to be rearranged.

9. The connection method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: According to the type of power supply corresponding to the hard macro unit, the adapter line and the power supply, or the ring structure and the power supply, or the adapter line, the ring structure and the power supply are connected.

10. The connection method according to claim 9, characterized in that: The types include: conventional power supply and special power supply; according to the type of power supply corresponding to the hard macro unit, connecting the adapter wire and the power supply, or the ring structure and the power supply, or the adapter wire, the ring structure and the power supply, including: If the type is the conventional power supply, connecting the adapter cable to the power supply, or connecting the ring structure to the power supply; If the type is the special power supply, the adapter cable and the power supply, or the ring structure and the power supply, or the adapter cable, the ring structure and the power supply are connected.

11. The connection method according to claim 10, characterized in that: If the type is the conventional power supply, connecting the adapter cable to the power supply, or connecting the ring structure to the power supply, includes: If the adapter line is arranged on the hard macro unit, and there is a wiring corresponding to a conventional power supply above the highest layer of the metal layer occupied by the adapter line and the two are orthogonal, then the connection hole is made at the wiring position corresponding to the power supply on the highest layer; If the patch line is laid out for the hard macro unit, and there is no wiring corresponding to the conventional power supply above the highest layer of the metal layer occupied by the patch line, or there is wiring but the two are not orthogonal, then adjust the occupied layer of the patch line and re-lay it out; If the ring structure is arranged for the hard macro cell, a target metal line is selected around the ring structure and extended to the inner side of the ring structure, with the inner side facing the hard macro cell. If the target metal line and the ring structure are not in the same metal layer, a connection hole is made in the area corresponding to the intersection of the two. The target metal line is a metal line of a target conventional power supply source, and the target conventional power supply source refers to a conventional power supply source that provides power to the conventional power network corresponding to the standard cells around the hard macro cell and the logic power line corresponding to the ring structure, and the direction of the extended metal line is orthogonal to the direction of the metal line in the ring structure. If the extension line of the target metal line is short-circuited with the ring structure corresponding to different logic power lines, a metal line in a metal layer other than the metal layer where the target metal line is located is selected as a new target metal line, or the ring structure is adjusted and re-arranged.

12. The connection method according to claim 10, characterized in that: If the type is the special power supply, connecting the adapter cable and the power supply, or connecting the ring structure and the power supply, or connecting the adapter cable, the ring structure and the power supply, includes: If the adapter is arranged on the hard macro unit and the special power supply is a bump, the highest layer of the metal layer occupied by the adapter is arranged on the layer below the redistribution layer, and the connection hole is made through the redistribution layer and the highest layer; If the adapter is arranged on the hard macro unit and the special power supply is not a bump, a ring structure is arranged on the hard macro unit, the adapter is connected to the ring structure, and the special power supply is connected to the non-bump through the ring structure; If the ring structure is arranged on the hard macro unit, or the patch cord and the ring structure are arranged at the same time, when the special power supply is the bump, the highest layer of the metal layer occupied by the ring structure is arranged on the layer below the redistribution layer, and the connection hole is made through the redistribution layer and the highest layer. If the highest layer of the patch cord is also the layer below the redistribution layer, the redistribution layer and the patch cord are connected at the same time. If the ring structure is arranged on the hard macro unit, or the adapter line and the ring structure are arranged at the same time, when the special power supply is not the bump, the special power supply of the non-bump is connected to the ring structure by a pull line, or the corresponding adapter line is arranged for the special power supply of the non-bump, and the adapter line is connected to the ring structure by a pull line. When making the pull line, if the metal layer occupied by it is not in the same layer as the ring structure, a connection hole is made in the corresponding area of the intersection of the two; if there is a short circuit between the pull line and the ring structure corresponding to the different logic power lines, then the pull line is re-made in a metal layer other than the metal layer where the pull line is located, or the ring structure is adjusted and re-arranged.

13. The connection method according to claim 12, characterized in that: The method further includes: connecting a special power supply source other than the protrusion block to the ring structure by pulling a wire, or arranging a corresponding adapter wire for the special power supply source other than the protrusion block, and connecting the adapter wire to the ring structure by pulling a wire; A high metal layer is provided in the metal layer occupied by the ring structure, or a pull line is provided in parallel in the redistribution layer to strengthen the connection between the pull line and the ring structure.

14. The connection method according to claim 10, characterized in that: Arranging a patch cord and / or a ring structure for the hard macro unit according to information of the hard macro unit power pin includes: If the metal pattern of the power pin is located in a lower layer of the redistribution layer, and the power supply corresponding to the logic power line is the special power supply, the ring structure is not arranged on the hard macro unit, and a connection hole is directly made at the corresponding position through the redistribution layer to connect the metal pattern to the special power supply; If the metal pattern of the power pin is located in the next layer of the redistribution layer, and the power supply corresponding to its logic power line is the conventional power supply, and it cannot be directly connected through the connection hole at the corresponding position of the redistribution layer, then the ring structure is arranged on the hard macro unit, and the metal pattern is connected to the conventional power supply through the ring structure.

15. A computer program product comprising a computer program, characterized in that When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14 are implemented.

16. A computer-readable medium, characterized in that A computer program product according to claim 15 is stored therein.

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