Hierarchical Circuit Layout Automation for DFM Compliance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for improving integrated circuit layouts for manufacturability are tedious and costly, as they require manual analysis and modification of each cell in the layout hierarchy, often leading to design rule violations and inefficiencies in ensuring compliance across all levels of the hierarchy.
Innovation Solution
A method that traverses a tree-type hierarchical layout representation of the circuit design, identifying improvement opportunities and applying modifications to cells while ensuring that these changes satisfy design and manufacturability rules across all blocks of the same type, thereby preserving the layout hierarchy and avoiding rule violations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual analysis and modification of each cell in the layout hierarchy is performed, then design compliance with DFM requirements can be achieved, but the process becomes tedious, time-consuming, and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the layout hierarchy into multiple levels (top-level design, blocks, cells) and processes each level systematically. The computer-implemented method traverses the hierarchy level by level, applying DFM rules at each segment independently while maintaining overall compliance, thereby automating what would otherwise require tedious manual analysis of every cell.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary analysis of the entire layout hierarchy before finalizing modifications. The method first identifies all potential DFM violations across the hierarchy, then systematically applies corrections in a predetermined sequence from top-level blocks down to individual cells, ensuring compliance is achieved efficiently before manufacturing.
2Manufacturing precision
If modifications are made to cells at one level in the layout hierarchy to improve DFM compliance, then manufacturing margin may be improved, but design rule violations may be created at other levels
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where modifications at one level of the hierarchy are automatically checked against design rules at all other levels. The computer-implemented method traverses the entire hierarchy to verify that proposed cell modifications improve DFM compliance without creating violations elsewhere, providing feedback loops that ensure overall design integrity is maintained.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the analysis of multiple hierarchy levels into a unified automated process. Instead of treating each cell independently, the method combines DFM analysis across blocks, cells, and interconnections, evaluating modifications in the context of the entire hierarchy to ensure that improving manufacturing margin at one level does not compromise design rules at other levels.
3Manufacturing precision
If bottom-up analysis of each cell is performed to determine DFM compliance, then manufacturing improvements can be identified, but the complexity of analyzing many cells at multiple levels increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the complex analysis task into manageable hierarchical levels. Rather than analyzing all cells simultaneously, the method divides the layout into top-level blocks, intermediate blocks, and individual cells, processing each segment systematically. This segmentation reduces analysis complexity while maintaining comprehensive DFM coverage across all levels.
Data Source
AI summary
Various approaches for improving an integrated circuit layout. In one approach, a tree-type hierarchical layout representation of the circuit design is traversed. At each block visited during the traversing, a process determines whether there exists an improvement opportunity for each cell associated with the block. In response to determining that an improvement opportunity exists for a cell of a first block of the plurality of blocks, the process determines whether a modification to the cell satisfies one or more rules for every other block of the block type of the first block in the hierarchical representation. If the rules are satisfied, the modification is stored. Otherwise, the modification is discarded.