ECO Program Selective Removal for IC Design Rule Violations
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing integrated circuit design flow's engineering change order (ECO) process is inefficient due to its 'all or nothing' approach, leading to widespread and unexpected changes that can result in undesirable legalization-related issues, forcing designers to either reject all ECO changes or request smaller sets of ECOs to avoid these issues, thereby limiting design improvements.
Innovation Solution
An ECO program that selectively identifies and removes ECOs causing rule violations, allowing only beneficial changes to be applied by iteratively processing the design to minimize rule violations, using techniques such as search perimeters to pinpoint and remove problematic ECOs, thereby maximizing the number of applicable ECOs without compromising design quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If all requested ECOs are applied to an integrated circuit design as a group, then the number of design improvements is maximized, but widespread and unexpected changes occur causing undesirable legalization-related issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the ECO processing into individual ECO evaluations rather than treating them as a monolithic group. Each ECO is evaluated independently to determine its impact on legalization, allowing selective application of only those ECOs that do not cause unacceptable rule violations. This segmentation enables the system to maximize beneficial changes while avoiding harmful side effects.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different evaluation criteria to different ECOs based on their local impact on the design. By analyzing each ECO's specific effect on legalization rules, the system selectively applies ECOs with acceptable local impacts while excluding those that would cause widespread changes. This local quality approach allows tailored decision-making for each ECO based on its individual characteristics.
2Productivity
If all requested ECOs are applied as a group, then design improvements are maximized, but extensive subsequent repairs are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary evaluation of each ECO's impact on legalization before applying it to the design. By predicting and assessing potential rule violations in advance, the system can prevent the need for extensive subsequent repairs. This preliminary action identifies problematic ECOs before they are applied, eliminating the need for time-consuming corrective operations later.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms that evaluate the impact of applying ECOs on legalization rules. This feedback loop allows the system to adjust which ECOs are applied based on their actual impact assessment, preventing the generation of rule violations that would require subsequent repairs. The feedback ensures that only ECOs with acceptable impacts are applied, reducing or eliminating the need for corrective actions.
3Reliability
If designers request smaller sets of ECOs to avoid legalization issues, then design quality is maintained, but the number of applicable ECOs is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of ECO selection from a fixed all-or-nothing approach to a dynamic selection process based on evaluated impacts. By adjusting the selection criteria to consider individual ECO impacts on legalization, the system maximizes the number of applicable ECOs while maintaining design quality. This parameter change enables flexible, impact-based selection rather than rigid quantity limits.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for handling engineering change orders (ECOs) for an integrated circuit design is described herein. An ECO program performs operations for an ECO flow. The ECO flow includes the ECO program generating a changed design by applying ECO changes for a set of ECOs to integrated circuits in an initial design. The ECO program then finds ECO change rule violations for the changed design. The ECO program next identifies selected ECOs associated with ECO change rule violations. The ECO program then removes the selected ECOs from the set of ECOs.