High-Speed Shape-Based Router for IC Interconnects
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current electronic design automation tools for integrated circuits face challenges in efficiently routing complex interconnects, particularly in high-speed and high-performance designs, as traditional grid-based approaches are inflexible and inefficient for handling off-grid connections and post-route optimizations.
Innovation Solution
A high-speed shape-based router system that uses Steiner decomposition and multiple search engines, such as spine routing, depth-first search, and space flood search, to efficiently route nets by decomposing routing problems into manageable segments and rerouting sections with errors, allowing for flexible routing around obstacles and optimizing for timing and signal integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional grid-based routing approaches are used, then routing structure is simple and systematic, but flexibility for off-grid connections is poor and computational efficiency decreases for complex circuits
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the routing problem into two distinct phases: global routing that establishes a coarse grid-based framework, and detailed routing that handles fine-grained off-grid connections. This segmentation allows each phase to optimize for its specific requirements, resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and routing flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a hierarchical dimension by operating at multiple routing levels. The global router works at a coarse granularity level establishing major pathways, while the detailed router operates at a fine granularity level handling precise connections. This dimensional hierarchy enables both grid-based efficiency and off-grid flexibility.
2Ease of operation
If grid-based routing is used, then routing follows regular intervals and spacings, but handling irregular intervals and spacings becomes difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The global routing phase performs preliminary action by establishing a coarse framework that anticipates and prepares for irregular spacing requirements. By pre-planning major routing corridors and connection points at the global level, the detailed routing phase can efficiently handle irregular intervals without time-consuming optimizations.
3Adaptability or versatility
If shape-based routing is implemented for high-speed designs, then flexibility and performance improve, but computational complexity and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the shape-based routing computation into global and detailed phases, where the global phase handles high-level path planning with simplified models, and the detailed phase handles precise geometry optimization. This segmentation reduces overall computational complexity while maintaining flexibility for high-speed designs.
Data Source
AI summary
A high-speed shape-based router is applicable to standard-cell digital designs, chip-level-block assembly designs, and other styles of design. In a flow of the invention, the technique establishes an initial structure for each net to be routed. Nets or parts of them are ordered. Each part of the net may be routed using a spine routing search, depth first search, or a space flood search, or any combination of these. Where sections fail or an error occurs, conflicts are identified, and the technique tries routing again.