Multi-Panel Track Assignment for Circuit Routing Congestion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional circuit design routing methods face challenges in resolving design rule constraints and congestion by restricting wire assignments to specific panels, leading to potential wire overlap and routing blockages, which are not effectively addressed in neighboring panels.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves a track assignment method that allows wires to be assigned to neighboring panels based on primary and secondary panel bounds, enabling the assignment of wires to tracks outside their initial panel to resolve congestion and design rule violations, while applying penalties for such assignments to favor internal panel tracks when possible.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If wires are assigned to tracks within the same panel only, then panel boundary constraints are satisfied and routing organization is simplified, but wire overlap and design rule violations occur due to congestion not being resolved across neighboring panels
Solution Approach 1:
The circuit design is divided into multiple panels, and the routing process is segmented into primary panel bound routing (within-panel) and secondary panel bound routing (across-panel). This segmentation allows the system to first attempt simple within-panel routing and then expand to cross-panel routing only when necessary, resolving congestion while maintaining organizational simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extends the routing dimension from two-dimensional (within a single panel) to three-dimensional by incorporating neighboring panels into the track assignment process. This allows wires to be routed across panel boundaries when congestion or design rule violations occur, effectively adding a spatial dimension to resolve routing conflicts.
2Adaptability or versatility
If wires are allowed to be assigned to tracks in neighboring panels, then routing flexibility increases and congestion is reduced, but runtime overhead increases due to expanded search space
Solution Approach 1:
The invention performs preliminary track assignment within the primary panel bound first, before considering secondary panel bound routing. This preliminary action reduces the search space by attempting to resolve routing within panel boundaries first, and only expands to neighboring panels when necessary, thereby reducing overall runtime overhead while maintaining routing flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies different routing strategies to different spatial regions: within-panel routing is attempted first with stricter constraints, and cross-panel routing is used selectively only in regions where congestion or design rule violations occur. This local differentiation optimizes the balance between routing flexibility and computational efficiency.
3Reliability
If multi-panel track assignment is used to resolve congestion, then routing solutions improve, but complexity of track assignment algorithm increases
Solution Approach 1:
The track assignment algorithm is segmented into distinct phases: primary panel bound track assignment and secondary panel bound track assignment. Each phase has its own constraints and objectives, making the overall complex problem manageable through systematic division into smaller, more tractable sub-problems.
Solution Approach 2:
The algorithm dynamically adjusts the panel bound constraints based on routing needs. It starts with strict primary panel bound constraints and relaxes to secondary panel bound constraints when congestion or design rule violations are detected, allowing the system to adapt its complexity level to the actual routing requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments provide for circuit design routing using a track assignment based on a plurality of panels (also referred to herein as a multi-panel track assignment). According to some embodiments, a track assignment of a wire within a particular panel is performed based on a primary panel bound or limit and a secondary panel bound or limit. For instance, during a track assignment for a particular wire falling within a particular panel, an embodiment can first attempt to assign the particular wire to a track that falls within panels within the primary panel bound and, if deemed not possible (e.g., due to a DRC, violation or congestion issue), the embodiment can then assign the particular wire to a track that falls within panels within the secondary panel bound.