IC Floor Planning Routing Resource Supply Demand Analysis

Solution Overview

Problem

The IC design process is hindered by numerous iterations between the floor planning and routing stages, leading to schedule delays, resource misestimation, and increased costs due to meandering-induced timing failures and inefficient die area utilization.

Innovation Solution

A computer system and method that generates a preliminary route plan by determining the supply and demand of routing resources for each channel, allowing for optimized routing and reduced iterations between the floor planning, routing, RC extraction, and static timing analysis stages.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the routing process is performed after floor planning without preliminary route analysis, then the routing tool can generate routes based on available channels, but multiple iterations between floor planning and routing are required due to timing failures and resource constraints

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetiming constraints satisfactionVSAvoiddesign iteration time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary route planning and supply-demand analysis during the floor planning stage, before the actual routing process. This includes determining routing resource supply for each channel, generating preliminary route plans, and analyzing whether demand exceeds supply. By conducting these actions in advance, the system identifies potential timing failures and resource constraints early, allowing floor plan modifications to be made proactively rather than through repeated iterations after routing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If the floor plan is modified multiple times to address routing issues, then timing constraints can be satisfied, but die area utilization becomes inefficient and costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetiming constraints satisfactionVSAvoiddie area utilization

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary route planning and supply-demand analysis during the floor planning stage, before the actual routing process. This includes determining routing resource supply for each channel, generating preliminary route plans, and analyzing whether demand exceeds supply. By conducting these actions in advance, the system identifies potential timing failures and resource constraints early, allowing floor plan modifications to be made proactively rather than through repeated iterations after routing, thereby optimizing die area utilization.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the supply-demand analysis results are fed back into the floor planning process. The system determines whether routing resource demand exceeds supply for each channel and provides this information to the floor planning tool, which can then modify the floor plan accordingly. This closed-loop feedback allows timing constraints to be satisfied while optimizing die area utilization by making informed decisions based on routing resource availability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Ease of manufacture

If routing resources are not analyzed preliminarily, then the routing process can proceed without prior constraints, but resource misestimation occurs leading to over or under utilization of channels

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverouting process simplicityVSAvoidrouting resource estimation accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary determination of routing resource supply for each channel before the routing process. The system calculates the available routing resources in each channel and generates a preliminary route plan that considers this supply information. This preliminary analysis prevents resource misestimation by providing accurate information about channel capacity in advance, allowing for balanced utilization of routing resources without compromising the simplicity of the routing process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS8671376B2Computer system and method for performing a routing supply and demand analysis during the floor planning stage of an integrated circuit design process

Publication Date: 2014.03.11 AVAGO TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL SALES PTE LTD

AI summary

A floor planning tool is provided that performs the functions that are typically performed by floor planning tools, but in addition, determines the supply of routing resources and the demand on routing resources for all routing channels while applying variable routing rules and static timing estimations to arrive at a preliminary routed floor plan. This drastically reduces the number of iterations that subsequently will need to be performed by the floor planning tool and by routing and static timing analysis tools to arrive at a final routed floor plan.