IC Design Characterization Using Parameterized Leaf Cell Templates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional methods for characterizing integrated circuit (IC) designs require manual description of circuit building blocks for each unique IC design, making it cumbersome to modify and generate generic/parameterized descriptions for different designs.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize a high-level language to describe leaf cells, specify their placement and connectivity, extract a critical path, and perform simulations to determine design parameters, providing results in a pre-defined output format.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional manual methods are used to describe circuit building blocks for each unique IC design, then the description can be customized for specific designs, but the process becomes cumbersome and difficult to modify
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms fixed manual descriptions into parameterized templates where circuit building blocks are defined with configurable parameters. This allows the same template to adapt to different IC designs by simply changing parameter values, eliminating the need to manually rewrite descriptions for each unique design while maintaining full customizability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates universal templates for circuit building blocks that can be applied across multiple different IC designs. These templates serve multiple functions by accommodating various specific implementations through parameter substitution, making the description system both adaptable to different designs and easy to modify through parameter changes rather than structural rewrites.
2Manufacturing precision
If manual description methods are used for circuit building blocks, then detailed control over each design is achieved, but the time and effort required increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-defining circuit building block templates with all necessary structural details and relationships. This preliminary setup includes specifying inputs, outputs, and internal connections in advance, so that when a specific IC design is needed, only parameter values need to be substituted rather than creating descriptions from scratch, thereby maintaining precision while reducing time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copying by creating reusable templates that can be instantiated multiple times with different parameter values. Instead of manually describing each circuit building block separately for every IC design, the same validated template structure is copied and adapted through parameter substitution, ensuring consistent precision across all designs while dramatically reducing the time and effort required.
3Productivity
If generic/parameterized descriptions are developed for circuit building blocks, then the same description can be used in different IC designs, but ensuring accuracy for each specific design becomes more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms where simulation results and characterization data are used to validate and refine the parameterized templates. The system automatically performs simulations using the generated netlists and compares results against expected behavior, providing feedback that ensures accuracy for each specific IC design while maintaining the efficiency benefits of reusable templates.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements self-service by enabling the system to automatically verify and validate the accuracy of parameterized descriptions through integrated simulation and characterization tools. The system self-checks whether the generated netlists and design parameters meet the required specifications for each specific IC design, ensuring reliability without requiring manual verification for each instantiation.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and a system for characterizing an integrated circuit (IC) design are disclosed. The method includes receiving a description of leaf cells used in the IC design. The IC design is described in a high-level language by using the description of the leaf cells. The description of the IC design includes specifying placement of the leaf cells and specifying connectivity between them. Further, the method includes extracting a circuit netlist file based on the physical layout of the IC design. The instructions are defined in the high-level language to perform simulations on the extracted circuit netlist file. These simulations are performed on the circuit netlist file to determine the values of the design parameters. Furthermore, the method includes providing the values of the design parameters of the IC design in a pre-defined output format based on the simulations.