IC Design Rule Violation Remediation via Edge Movement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Integrated circuit (IC) design layouts often contain design rule violations that existing technologies struggle to automatically and efficiently remedy, leading to functional issues in manufactured ICs.
Innovation Solution
A method is developed to automatically generate and select design solutions that move edges of IC shapes to rectify violations, such as space, width, area, and edge rule violations, by analyzing markers indicating the violations and calculating necessary edge movements to meet design constraints without introducing new rule violations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual methods are used to identify and fix design rule violations, then design engineers can address violations, but the process is time-consuming and reduces productivity
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically detects design rule violations and generates remediation solutions without human intervention. The computer system performs self-service by identifying violations, calculating edge movements, and proposing fixes, freeing designers from manual violation checking and enabling rapid design iteration while maintaining compliance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical processes (designers visually inspecting layouts and manually adjusting geometries) with an automated computational system. The system uses algorithms to detect violations, calculate required edge movements, and generate solution geometries, substituting human effort with automated mechanical computation
2Extent of automation
If existing automated tools are used to detect design rule violations, then violations can be identified, but the tools cannot automatically generate remediation solutions
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-calculating all possible edge movement solutions before the designer needs to make decisions. It identifies violations, computes multiple remediation options with their respective edge movements, and prepares solution geometries in advance, reducing the complexity of the remediation process
Solution Approach 2:
The system acts as an intermediary between violation detection and manual remediation. It receives violation information, processes it through automated algorithms to generate solution geometries, and presents these to the designer for selection, bridging the gap between automated detection and manual fixing
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple design solutions are generated for each violation, then designers have more options, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the complex problem of design rule violation remediation into manageable components: violation detection, edge movement calculation, solution geometry generation, and validation. By dividing the process into discrete segments, it can generate multiple solutions without overwhelming complexity, allowing designers to evaluate different options systematically
Data Source
AI summary
Some embodiments provide a method for automatically generating several design solutions that remedy a design rule violation committed by a set of shapes in an IC design layout. The method receives a marker that indicates the design rule violation and contains information about the violation. The marker in some embodiments can be rendered as a geometric shape in the IC design layout. Based on the marker, the method generates several solutions each of which will cause the set of shapes to meet the design rule when the solution is applied to the set. Each solution requires moving at least one edge of a shape in the set of shapes.