Standard cell library and device splicing inspection method and system thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses a standard cell library and a device splicing inspection method and system thereof, and belongs to the technical field of layout test.The device splicing inspection method of the standard cell library comprises the steps that devices to be tested are provided, and the devices to be tested are sorted according to the size; performing splicing inspection on the to-be-tested devices in sequence according to the sequence until all the to-be-tested devices are traversed; modifying the size of any to-be-tested device, moving out the modified to-be-tested device, placing the modified to-be-tested device in front of the sorted first to-be-tested device, and performing splicing inspection on the modified to-be-tested device; and packaging the to-be-tested device subjected to splicing inspection into a standard cell library. By proposing a new design process, the arrangement sequence of the devices is changed, so that the modified device sequence is advanced, and the energy consumption and time for performing the abutment splicing check and the DRC check are remarkably reduced.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of layout testing, in particular to a standard cell library and a device abutment checking method and system thereof. BACKGROUND

[0002] Foundry (Semiconductor Foundry, also known as Foundry) will provide mature standard cell library for customers to use, better align the process standard and improve design efficiency. Each device in the standard cell library needs to be checked for abutment and DRC to ensure that it does not violate the design rule.

[0003] Abutment requires two types of abutment, horizontal and vertical, to completely surround the device. Currently, when doing abutment abutment process, the arrangement order of the device is fixed, and the device is checked for abutment according to the arrangement order. Once the parameters or layout design of one of the devices are modified, the entire traversal arrangement and abutment will be re-done.

[0004] It should be noted that the information disclosed in the background section of the present application is only intended to deepen the understanding of the general background of the present application, and should not be regarded as acknowledging or implying in any form that the information constitutes prior art known to those skilled in the art. SUMMARY

[0005] The purpose of the present application is to provide a standard cell library and a device abutment checking method and system thereof, to solve the problem of needing to traverse all devices for abutment checking when modifying device parameters.

[0006] To solve the above technical problems, the present application provides a device abutment checking method for a standard cell library, comprising: providing a device to be tested, and sorting the device to be tested according to size; sequentially checking the device to be tested according to the sorting until all devices to be tested are traversed; modifying the size of any device to be tested, removing the modified device to be tested and placing it before the first device to be tested in the sorting, and checking the modified device to be tested for abutment; packaging the device to be tested after abutment checking into a standard cell library.

[0007] Preferably, the device to be tested is sorted according to area size.

[0008] Preferably, the device to be tested is sorted according to area size.

[0009] Preferably, the tiling inspection of the devices under test according to the ordering comprises: rejecting the device under test that has completed the tiling inspection, and arranging the remaining devices under test according to size to obtain a current ordering; taking the device under test at the top of the current ordering as a target device; arranging a plurality of target devices and a plurality of mirror images of the target devices in lateral intervals to form a first fixed device group; setting a first tiling device group on the top and bottom of the first fixed device group, the first tiling device group being the remaining devices under test arranged laterally according to the current ordering; aligning the target device at the top of the first tiling device group with the target device or the mirror image of the target device at one end of the first fixed device group; moving the first tiling device group laterally step by step until a predetermined step length remains between the target device at the top of the first tiling device group and one end of the first fixed device group, and performing DRC after each movement.

[0010] Preferably, the step length of each lateral movement of the first tiling device group is one polypitch.

[0011] Preferably, the number of polypitches of the target device in the lateral direction is x, x is a positive integer, the number of times of moving the first tiling device group is 2x-1, and the number of polypitches of the predetermined step length is 2x-1.

[0012] Preferably, when tiling inspection is performed on the devices under test, a standard cell is also filled in the surrounding blank area.

[0013] Preferably, the tiling inspection of the modified devices under test comprises: placing the modified devices under test in a device order obtained before the device under test at the top of the ordering to obtain a modified ordering; arranging a plurality of the modified devices under test and a plurality of mirror images of the modified devices under test in lateral intervals to form a second fixed device group; setting a second tiling device group on the top and bottom of the second fixed device group, the second tiling device group being the devices under test and the modified devices under test arranged laterally according to the modified ordering; aligning the modified device under test at the top of the second tiling device group with the modified device under test or the mirror image of the modified device under test at one end of the second fixed device group; moving the second tiling device group laterally step by step until a predetermined step length remains between the modified device under test at the top of the second tiling device group and one end of the second fixed device group, and performing DRC after each movement.

[0014] A standard cell library is tested by the device abutment checking method of the standard cell library as described above.

[0015] A system for checking the abutment of a standard cell library for testing the device abutment checking method of the standard cell library as described above, comprising: a sorting module for sorting the devices to be tested according to size; a traversal abutment checking module for sequentially checking the abutment of the devices to be tested according to the sorting until all the devices to be tested are traversed; a modification module for modifying the size of any device to be tested, removing the modified device to be tested and placing it before the first device to be tested in the sorting, and checking the abutment of the modified device to be tested; a packaging module for packaging the devices to be tested after the abutment checking into a standard cell library.

[0016] The standard cell library and the device abutment checking method and system thereof provided by the present application change the arrangement order of the devices by proposing a new design flow, so that the order of the modified devices is advanced, and the energy consumption and time for abutment checking and DRC checking are significantly reduced.

[0017] The standard cell library provided by the present application belongs to the same inventive concept as the standard cell library and the device abutment checking method and system thereof provided by the present application, and therefore has at least all the advantages of the standard cell library and the device abutment checking method and system thereof provided by the present application, which will not be repeated here.

[0018] The system for checking the abutment of a standard cell library provided by the present application belongs to the same inventive concept as the standard cell library and the device abutment checking method and system thereof provided by the present application, and therefore has at least all the advantages of the standard cell library and the device abutment checking method and system thereof provided by the present application, which will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0019] Those skilled in the art will understand that the provided drawings are for better understanding of the present application and do not constitute any limitation on the scope of the present application. Among them: Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the abutment of the devices to be tested from two directions in the prior art; Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the abutment of five devices to be tested in the prior art; Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the initial position of the traversal abutment of the device to be tested A in the prior art; Figure 4is a final position diagram of the prior art traversing splicing of the device under test A; Figure 5 is a diagram of fixing the arrangement order of the device under test in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 6 is a diagram of changing the arrangement order of the device under test in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 7 is a diagram of traversing splicing of the device under test in the prior art; Figure 8 is a diagram of traversing splicing of the device under test in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 9 is a diagram of the traversing splicing order after modifying the size of the device under test D in the prior art and an embodiment of the present application; Figure 10 is a programming interface diagram in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 11 is an execution flow diagram in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] In order to make the objects, advantages and features of the present application clearer, the following further describes the present application in combination with the drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that the drawings are very simplified and not drawn according to scale, and are only used to facilitate and clearly assist the purpose of describing the embodiments of the present application. In addition, the structures shown in the drawings are often a part of the actual structures. In particular, the emphasis shown in each drawing is different, and sometimes different scales are used.

[0021] As used in the present disclosure, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The term "or" is generally employed in its sense of "and / or" unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The term "plurality" is generally employed in its sense of "at least one" unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The term "at least two" is generally employed in its sense of "two or more" unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In addition, the terms "first," "second," "third," etc. are used only to describe a particular object and do not imply or suggest relative importance or imply the number of the technical features indicated. Thus, the features defined as "first," "second," "third" can explicitly or implicitly include one or at least two of the features. The term "proximal" generally refers to the end closer to the operator, and the term "distal" generally refers to the end closer to the patient. The terms "one end" and "the other end" and "proximal" and "distal" generally refer to two parts corresponding to each other, which not only includes the end points, and the terms "mounting," "connecting," and "connecting" should be understood broadly, for example, it can be fixedly connected, or detachably connected, or integrated; it can be mechanically connected, or electrically connected; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium; it can be the internal communication or interaction relationship between two elements. In addition, as used in the present disclosure, a component disposed in another component generally only indicates that there is a connection, coupling, cooperation or transmission relationship between the two components, and the two components can be directly or indirectly connected, coupled, cooperated or transmitted through an intermediate component, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying the spatial positional relationship between the two components, i.e. one component can be in any orientation inside, outside, above, below or one side of another component, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present disclosure can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0022] Research found that in the conventional abutment splicing inspection process, the positions of the target cell and the target cell mirror need to be fixed, and a set of abutment cells are arranged at the top and bottom respectively for splicing inspection, as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 .

[0023] Assume that there are 5 devices to be tested in a standard cell library: A: INVERTER, B: AND, C: BUFFER, D: DFF, E: NOR, and the abutment splicing checking process is described taking the standard cell library as an example, and the sizes of the devices to be tested A to E are gradually reduced. First, the splicing checking is performed on the device to be tested A, and the splicing taking the device to be tested A as the center is: ABCDE-AA'……AA'-ABCDE, wherein A' is the mirror image of the device to be tested A, the devices to be tested A and A' are spliced horizontally as AA'……AA' in the middle layer (MID), and the devices spliced vertically are ABCDE, as shown in Figure 3 The devices to be tested A, B, C, D and E spliced vertically are arranged on the top (TOP) and the bottom (BOT) of the devices to be tested A and A' respectively, and the devices to be tested spliced vertically on the top and the bottom are moved step by step.

[0024] It should be noted that the devices to be tested A, B, C, D and E on the top and the bottom are moved simultaneously, and the step length of each movement is one polypitch distance (one polypitch distance, the meaning of Poly in polypitch is polysilicon, and the meaning of pitch is pitch, which is translated as gate pitch), and DRC (design rule check) is performed after each movement. When the device to be tested A in the devices to be tested A, B, C, D and E on the top and the bottom moves to a distance of one polypitch between the last end of the spliced AA'……AA', the movement is stopped, and then if targetcell(A)'s pitchnum = x, total move num = 2x−1, the number of pitches (the meaning is the same as polypitch) of A or A' in the horizontal direction is x, and the total number of movements is 2x−1, and the device to be tested stays at a distance of one polypitch from the last end of the first group of AA', as the final position (final position).

[0025] After the checking of the device to be tested A is completed, the device to be tested A is removed from the vertically spliced devices, and the splicing taking the device to be tested B as the center is performed: BCDE-BB'……BB'-BCDE, B' is the mirror image of the device to be tested B, the horizontal splicing is BB', and the vertical splicing is BCDE, and the vertically spliced devices are moved step by step, and DRC is performed after each movement. After the inspection of the device B is completed, the device B is moved out of the longitudinally spliced device, and the splicing centered on the device C is performed in the same way: CDE-CC'…CC'-CDE, C' is the mirror image of the device C, the transverse splicing is CC', and the longitudinal splicing is CDE, the longitudinally spliced device is gradually moved, and the DRC is performed after each movement; After the inspection of the device C is completed, the device C is moved out of the longitudinally spliced device, and the splicing centered on the device D is performed in the same way: DE-DD'…DD'-DE, D' is the mirror image of the device D, the transverse splicing is DD', and the longitudinal splicing is DE, the longitudinally spliced device is gradually moved, and the DRC is performed after each movement; After the inspection of the device D is completed, the device D is moved out of the longitudinally spliced device, and the splicing centered on the device E is performed in the same way: E-EE'…EE'-E, E' is the mirror image of the device E, the transverse splicing is EE', and the longitudinal splicing is E, the longitudinally spliced device is gradually moved, and the DRC is performed after each movement.

[0026] Further research shows that after all the devices are traversed and spliced for inspection in the above manner, once the parameters or layout design of one of the devices is modified, resulting in a change in area, the devices in the cell library are rearranged in order, and each device is traversed and spliced again.

[0027] Based on this, the core idea of the present application is to change the arrangement order of the devices by proposing a new design process, so that the modified device order is advanced, and the energy consumption and time for abutment splicing inspection and DRC inspection are significantly reduced.

[0028] Specifically, please refer to Figure 5 , Figure 6 and Figures 8-11 , which are schematic diagrams of embodiments of the present application. As shown in Figure 11 , a device splicing inspection method of a standard cell library comprises: Step one, providing a device to be tested, and sorting the device to be tested according to size.

[0029] Step two, sequentially splicing the device to be tested according to the sorting until all the devices to be tested are traversed.

[0030] Step three, modifying the size of any device to be tested, moving the modified device to be tested out, and placing it before the first device to be tested in the sorting, and splicing the modified device to be tested.

[0031] Step four, packaging the device to be tested after splicing inspection into a standard cell library.

[0032] Currently, IP vendors on the market typically arrange components adjacent to each other in a fixed order when performing abutment splicing for cell libraries, prioritizing device area from high to low or low to high. They often first perform splicing checks on all devices under test (DUTs) sorted by area. For example, if DUTs are A, B, C, D, and E... Figure 5 As shown, in this case, if the parameters or layout design of one of the devices are modified, resulting in a change in area, the order of the devices in the cell library will be rearranged, and all of them will be re-traversed and reassembled.

[0033] Since splicing checks have already been performed on all devices under test (DUTs) and the DRC check data of splicing between adjacent DUTs has been retained, if the order of device rearrangement is changed, only the DRC check data of the modified device and other devices need to be re-traversed. This invention provides a method for splicing checks on modified devices, which moves the modified DUT to the first position in the original sorting, while keeping the order of the remaining DUTs unchanged. Based on this, only the modified DUT needs to be spliced ​​once, without traversing all devices, thus reducing the amount of splicing and DRC checks.

[0034] Taking devices under test (DUTs) A, B, C, D, and E as examples, the dimensions of DUTs A through E gradually decrease. Figure 6 As shown, if the height or width of the device under test (DUT) D is modified, current commercial solutions would rearrange the modified DUT with all other standard cells according to area, and perform splicing traversal and DRC checks on all of them. The method of this invention moves the DUT to the first position in the cell library arrangement order for abutment splicing. Therefore, except for re-performing splicing traversal and DRC checks on the DUT, it is no longer necessary to perform the same work on the DUTs A, B, C, and D. Figure 9 The diagram illustrates the prior art and an embodiment of the present invention, showing the traversal splicing sequence after modifying the size of the device under test (D). The method provided by the present invention can perform fewer abutment splicing arrangements and DRC checks, reducing energy consumption and time.

[0035] In one implementation, the devices under test are sorted by area. More preferably, they are sorted by area from smallest to largest or by area from largest to smallest.

[0036] For example Figure 7 As shown, in the device under test or the unit to be spliced ​​(i.e. Figure 7 When sorting the abut cells, they are often sorted by area from smallest to largest or from largest to smallest, forming a relatively regular trapezoidal shape. The devices under test are then spliced ​​and checked in sequence according to this sorting until all devices under test have been traversed.

[0037] Understandably, when performing splicing inspection on the device under test (DUT), standard filler cells are also used to fill the surrounding blank areas. Filler cells are used to fill blank areas inside the chip, connect the diffusion layer and power lines inside the chip, keep the wells continuous, and meet the DRC inspection requirements. Filler cells need to be inserted in areas of the physical layout where there are no cells to be spliced. Figure 7 and Figure 8 The present shapes are shown before and after changing the splicing arrangement order. It should be noted that the traditional technical solution places standard cells around the device under test. Before and after the device is modified, standard cells are placed around the device under test arranged in a trapezoidal shape. In this invention, after the modified device under test is moved forward, the device under test can be arranged in any shape. It is necessary to regenerate an irregular arrangement of standard cells, which is different from the fixed standard cell arrangement in the traditional technical process. It is more time-consuming, but the time spent arranging standard cells is much less than the time spent redoing the abutment splicing traversal and performing DRC checks on all abutment cells.

[0038] For example, performing splicing inspection on the devices under test according to the aforementioned order includes: Remove the devices under test that have completed the splicing inspection, and arrange the remaining devices under test according to their size to obtain the current sorting; The device under test located at the top of the current sorting order is taken as the target device; Multiple target devices and their mirror images are arranged laterally at intervals to form the first fixed device group; A first splicing device group is set at the top and bottom of the first fixed device group, and the first splicing device group consists of the remaining devices to be tested arranged horizontally according to the current order. Align the target device located at the head of the first splicing device group with the target device located at one end of the first fixed device group or a mirror image of the target device; The first splicing device group is moved laterally step by step until a predetermined step length remains between the target device at the first end of the first splicing device group and one end of the first fixed device group, and DRC is performed after each movement.

[0039] Understandably, taking devices under test (DUTs) A, B, C, D, and E as an example, with DUTs decreasing in size from A to E, DUT A is used as the target device for splicing inspection. After splicing inspection on both sides of target device A and its mirror image A', DUT A is removed. The remaining DUTs form a new current sort, which still follows the original sorting method, i.e., arranged by size. The DUT at the top of the current sort is used as the target device for splicing inspection again. Here, there is no specific limitation on whether the DUTs are arranged horizontally from left to right or right to left, nor is there a specific limitation on whether the splicing device group moves horizontally from left to right or right to left.

[0040] For example, the step size of the first splicing device group in each horizontal movement is polypitch. The number of polypitches of the target device in the horizontal direction is x, where x is a positive integer. The number of moves of the first splicing device group is 2x-1, and the number of polypitches with the predetermined step size is 2x-1. Polypitch represents the distance between two adjacent poly groups. If targetcell(A)'s pitcℎnum=x, total move num= 2x−1, that is, the number of polypitches in A or A' is x, and the total number of moves is 2x−1. The final position of the first splicing device group after the movement is completed is 2x−1 polypitches away from the beginning, that is, 1 polypitch away from the boundary of its bottom device. Figure 4 As shown.

[0041] The splicing inspection of the modified device under test includes: The device order obtained by placing the modified device under test before the first device under test in the sorting is called the modified sorting; Multiple modified devices under test and multiple modified devices under test are arranged in a mirror-image horizontally spaced manner to form a second fixed device group; A second splicing device group is set at the top and bottom of the second fixed device group, respectively. The second splicing device group consists of the device under test and the modified device under test arranged horizontally according to the modified sorting. Align the modified device under test located at the first position of the second splicing device group with the modified device under test or the mirror image of the modified device under test located at one end of the second fixed device group. The second splicing device group is moved laterally step by step until a predetermined step length remains between the modified device under test at the first position of the second splicing device group and one end of the second fixed device group, and a DRC test is performed after each movement.

[0042] The modified device under test (DUT) is moved to the first position of the original sorting. Only one splicing check is needed, without rearranging the DUTs and performing splicing checks on all DUTs.

[0043] refer to Figure 10 In the code implementation, during the assembly check of the standard cell library, users can choose between the traditional method of sequentially traversing all abutments or the method of selecting specific devices for individual traversal, as described in this invention. Selecting modified or newly added devices for individual traversal reduces the energy consumption of abutment arrangement and DRC (Design Rule Check) time, thereby improving QA efficiency.

[0044] In other embodiments, if the dimensions of two devices under test are modified or adjusted, one of the modified devices can be placed at the beginning of the original order, while the remaining devices retain their original order. A splicing check is then performed. Then, the other modified device is placed before the modified device, while the remaining devices retain their original order. A splicing check is then performed. Similarly, the same method is used when modifying the dimensions of two or more devices under test, and will not be elaborated further here.

[0045] Based on the same technical concept, the present invention provides a standard cell library, wherein the devices or cells in the standard cell library are obtained by testing using the device splicing inspection method of the standard cell library as described above.

[0046] Based on the same technical concept, the present invention also provides a standard cell library splicing inspection system for performing tests using the device splicing inspection method for the standard cell library as described above, including: The sorting module is used to sort the devices under test according to their dimensions. The splicing inspection module is used to sequentially inspect the devices under test according to the sorting order until all devices under test are traversed. The modification module is used to modify the size of any device under test, move the modified device under test out and place it before the first device under test in the sorting, and perform splicing inspection on the modified device under test. The packaging module is used to package the device under test (DUT) into a standard cell library after the splicing inspection is completed.

[0047] This invention provides a method for splicing inspection of modified devices. Since splicing inspection has been performed on all devices under test (DUTs) in the previous step, and the DRC inspection data of splicing between adjacent DUTs has also been retained, if the order of device rearrangement is changed, only the DRC inspection data between the modified device and other devices needs to be considered. The modified device is moved to the first position in the original order, while the order of the remaining DUTs remains unchanged. Based on this, only the modified device needs to be spliced ​​once, without traversing all devices, thus reducing the amount of abutment splicing and DRC inspection.

[0048] The above description is only a description of preferred embodiments of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention in any way. Any changes or modifications made by those skilled in the art based on the above disclosure shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for inspecting the assembly of components in a standard cell library, characterized in that, include: Provide the devices under test (DUTs) and sort them according to their dimensions; The devices under test are spliced ​​and checked sequentially according to the sorting order until all devices under test have been traversed. Modify the size of any device under test (DUT), move the modified DUT out, and place it before the first DUT in the sorted sequence. Then perform a splicing check on the modified DUT. After the splicing inspection is completed, the device under test is packaged into a standard cell library.

2. The method for inspecting the assembly of components in a standard cell library according to claim 1, characterized in that, The devices under test are sorted according to their area size.

3. The method for inspecting the assembly of components in a standard cell library according to claim 2, characterized in that, Sort the devices under test by area from smallest to largest or by area from largest to smallest.

4. The method for inspecting the assembly of components in a standard cell library according to claim 1, characterized in that, The splicing inspection of the devices under test according to the aforementioned sorting includes: Remove the devices under test that have completed the splicing inspection, and arrange the remaining devices under test according to their size to obtain the current sorting; The device under test located at the top of the current sorting order is taken as the target device; Multiple target devices and their mirror images are arranged laterally at intervals to form the first fixed device group; A first splicing device group is set at the top and bottom of the first fixed device group, and the first splicing device group consists of the remaining devices to be tested arranged horizontally according to the current order. Align the target device located at the head of the first splicing device group with the target device located at one end of the first fixed device group or a mirror image of the target device; The first splicing device group is moved laterally step by step until a predetermined step length remains between the target device at the first end of the first splicing device group and one end of the first fixed device group, and DRC is performed after each movement.

5. The device splicing inspection method for the standard cell library according to claim 4, characterized in that, Each lateral movement of the first splicing device group takes a step of one polypitch.

6. The device splicing inspection method for the standard cell library according to claim 5, characterized in that, The target device has x polypitches in the horizontal direction, where x is a positive integer. The first splicing device group moves 2x-1 times, and the number of polypitches with the predetermined step size is 2x-1.

7. The method for inspecting the assembly of components in a standard cell library according to claim 1, characterized in that, When performing splicing inspection on the device under test, standard cells are also filled in the surrounding blank areas.

8. The method for inspecting the assembly of components in a standard cell library according to claim 1, characterized in that, The splicing inspection of the modified device under test includes: The device order obtained by placing the modified device under test before the first device under test in the sorting is called the modified sorting; Multiple modified devices under test and multiple modified devices under test are arranged in a mirror-image horizontally spaced manner to form a second fixed device group; A second splicing device group is set at the top and bottom of the second fixed device group, respectively. The second splicing device group consists of the device under test and the modified device under test arranged horizontally according to the modified sorting. Align the modified device under test located at the first position of the second splicing device group with the modified device under test or the mirror image of the modified device under test located at one end of the second fixed device group. The second splicing device group is moved laterally step by step until a predetermined step length remains between the modified device under test at the first position of the second splicing device group and one end of the second fixed device group, and DRC is performed after each movement.

9. A standard unit library, characterized in that, The device splicing inspection method of the standard cell library as described in any one of claims 1-8 was used for testing.

10. A splicing inspection system for a standard unit library, characterized in that, Testing is performed using the device splicing inspection method for the standard cell library as described in any one of claims 1-8, including: The sorting module is used to sort the devices under test according to their dimensions. The splicing inspection module is used to sequentially inspect the devices under test according to the sorting order until all devices under test are traversed. The modification module is used to modify the size of any device under test, move the modified device under test out and place it before the first device under test in the sorting, and perform splicing inspection on the modified device under test. The packaging module is used to package the device under test (DUT) into a standard cell library after the splicing inspection is completed.

Images