Multi-Level Route Pattern Description Language for IC Routing Intent

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Solution Overview

Problem

Custom layout designers face challenges in effectively communicating their routing intent to routers, leading to unpredictable and inefficient results due to abstract or overly detailed guidance, which reduces the productivity benefits of using routers in IC design.

Innovation Solution

The use of a Multi-Level Route Pattern Description Language (ML-RPDL) and a graphical user interface (GUI) to capture and convey routing intent intuitively and abstractly, separating intent into clustering, connectivity, and physical components, allowing for hierarchical definitions and visual feedback, thereby guiding routers to produce predictable and optimal results.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If abstract guidance (e.g., layer costs) is used to communicate routing intent to the router, then the guidance can be transferred across design versions, but the user may not get the result they had in mind

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransferability of guidance across design versionsVSAvoidaccuracy of routing result matching user intent

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by providing different levels of routing guidance at different hierarchical levels. Instead of using uniformly abstract guidance throughout, the system allows users to specify routing intent with varying degrees of detail for different regions or aspects of the design, enabling both transferability and precision where needed

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Manufacturing precision

If detailed guidance (e.g., precise coordinates of the routes) is used to communicate routing intent to the router, then the user can get the desired routing result, but the guidance takes too much effort to create and becomes obsolete with each small change in the design

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccuracy of routing result matching user intentVSAvoidefficiency of creating and maintaining guidance

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments routing guidance into hierarchical levels, separating high-level routing intent from detailed route specifications. This segmentation allows users to define routing patterns at an abstract level that remains valid across design changes, while the router automatically handles the detailed coordinate generation, thus maintaining precision without sacrificing productivity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary action by pre-defining routing patterns and constraints at an abstract level before detailed routing is needed. These preliminary routing intent specifications serve as templates that guide the router and automatically adapt to design changes, eliminating the need to recreate detailed guidance manually

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Productivity

If custom layout designers use routers for layout design, then huge productivity benefits are provided, but the results can be unpredictable due to inability to effectively communicate routing intent

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveproductivity benefit of using routerVSAvoidpredictability of routing result

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary layer between the designer's intent and the router's execution. This intermediary consists of structured routing pattern definitions and constraints that translate high-level design intent into router-compatible specifications, ensuring that routing results are both efficient (maintaining productivity) and predictable (maintaining reliability)

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS11030375B2Capturing routing intent by using a multi-level route pattern description language

Publication Date: 2021.06.08 SYNOPSYS INC

AI summary

Techniques and systems for capturing and using routing intent in an integrated circuit (IC) design are described. Some embodiments use a graphical user interface (GUI) to capture routing intent for a net, wherein the routing intent includes a set of circuit objects associated with the net, a routing pattern, and optionally a set of user-provided attribute values. Next, the embodiments provide the routing intent to a router, wherein the router uses the routing intent to route the net.