Method and system for visualizing pin access locations
Granted: January 28, 2014
Patent Number:
8640080
Disclosed is a method and system for visualizing pin access locations on an integrated circuit design. Visual feedback is provided to a user that is attempting to connect a wire or a via to a pin structure polygon on the integrated circuit design. The visual feedback comprises any visual cue that provides an indication of a legal location to access the pin.
Method and system for searching and replacing graphical objects of a design
Granted: January 28, 2014
Patent Number:
8640079
Searching and/or replacing graphical objects of a design using a computer system. In one aspect of the inventions, a method includes searching a graphical design for all matching instances of graphical objects that match a search pattern. A graphical replacement pattern is received and caused to be displayed based on user input, and the matching instances in the graphical design are replaced with the graphical replacement pattern. At least one result of the replacement of the matching…
Method and system for searching for graphical objects of a design
Granted: January 28, 2014
Patent Number:
8640078
Searching for graphical objects of a design using a computer system. In one aspect of the inventions, a method includes defining a graphical search pattern based on input received from a user in a graphical interface displayed on a display device, where the search pattern is a graphical object and is defined with a plurality of types of characteristics. The graphical design is searched for all matching instances of graphical objects in the design that match the search pattern and match…
Analog/digital partitioning of circuit designs for simulation
Granted: January 28, 2014
Patent Number:
8640073
For increasing user control and insight into preparing a mixed semiconductor design specification for simulation, there are provided methods responsive to commands that provide control over resolution of disciplines and partitioning of the design into analog and digital portions. In some aspects, the methods provide block-based assignments of disciplines, as well as design partitioning. In other aspects, the methods provide for resolving a discipline to apply in a block from among…
Multi-phase models for timing closure of integrated circuit designs
Granted: January 28, 2014
Patent Number:
8640066
In one embodiment, a method of designing an integrated circuit is disclosed, including receiving a first partition block for a top level of a hierarchical design of an integrated circuit; analyzing each pin of the first partition block for an attribute associated with the pin indicating a timing exception; and if a timing exception other than false path is indicated then generating an internal timing pin in a first timing graph model of the first partition block for each timing…
Method and mechanism for implementing extraction for an integrated circuit design
Granted: January 21, 2014
Patent Number:
8635574
An improved method and system for performing extraction on an integrated circuit design is disclosed. Extraction may be performed at granularities much smaller than the entire IC design, in which a halo is used to identify a geometric volume surrounding an object of interest to identify neighboring objects and generate an electrical model. The extraction approach can be taken for Islands, Nets, as well as other granularities within the design. Re-extraction of a design can occur at…
Method and mechanism for identifying and tracking shape connectivity
Granted: January 14, 2014
Patent Number:
8631363
A method and mechanism is disclosed for identifying and tracking nets in an electrical design. A hierarchical design does not have to be flattened to perform the operation of identifying and tracking nets. To identify sets of connected shapes, instead of having to unfold the entire design hierarchy, only the specific instances of shapes falling within the geometric bounds of shapes identified as being part of a net needs to be unfolded to perform the search. When composing the list of…
Method and system for power delivery network analysis
Granted: January 14, 2014
Patent Number:
8631381
The subject application relates to a method and system for power delivery network analysis. The present disclosure is directed towards a computer-implemented method for analyzing a power delivery network (PDN) associated with an electronic circuit design. Embodiments may include extracting, using at least one processor, an electromagnetic (EM) model for each of one or more discontinuity structures associated with the circuit design and generating a three dimensional adaptive mesh model…
Yield analysis with situations
Granted: January 14, 2014
Patent Number:
8631373
Systems, methodologies and technologies for the analysis and transformation of integrated circuit layouts using situations are disclosed. A method for transforming an integrated circuit (IC) layout includes recognizing shapes within the IC layout, identifying features for each of the shapes and extracting situations for the respective features. Extracted situations can be used to improve optical proximity correction (OPC) of the IC layout. This improved OPC includes extracting the…
Methods, systems, and apparatus for timing and signal integrity analysis of integrated circuits with semiconductor process variations
Granted: January 14, 2014
Patent Number:
8631369
In one embodiment of the invention, a method of statically analyzing an integrated circuit with process and environment variations is provided. The method includes characterizing each circuit cell of a cell library for a sensitivity to process parameter variations within a predetermined range; creating a timing graph corresponding to a netlist representing an integrated circuit design; along nodes of the timing graph, computing delay values including sensitivities to process variations;…
Method and system for generating design constraints
Granted: January 7, 2014
Patent Number:
8627249
A method and system for generating design constraints for an electronic circuit design is disclosed. The method and system include reading a design description and an existing design constraint file, configuring design constraint integration rules, writing a new design constraint file, evaluating results of the new design constraint file, and replacing existing design constraint file with the new design constraint file.
Method and apparatus for dynamically configurable multi level error correction
Granted: January 7, 2014
Patent Number:
8627169
An invention is provided for dynamically configurable error correction. The invention includes receiving a check code configuration signal, which indicates a particular level of error detection. A check code generator is configured to generate check codes based on the particular level of error detection indicated by the check code configuration signal. In addition, an error locator configuration signal is received that indicates a particular level of error addressing, and an error…
Methods for compact modeling of circuit stages for static timing analysis of integrated circuit designs
Granted: December 24, 2013
Patent Number:
8615725
Systems, apparatus, and methods of timing analysis with a multi-operating region gate model are disclosed, including modeling a logic gate with a constant direct current (DC) voltage source during a steady state region of operation; in response to a transition from the steady state region of operation, modeling the logic gate with a time-varying voltage dependent current source during a varying current region of operation; and, in response to a transition from the variable current region…
Method and system for analyzing test vectors to determine toggle counts
Granted: December 24, 2013
Patent Number:
8615692
A system, method, and computer program product is disclosed that recycle digital assertions for analyzing the test vectors to quickly and accurately calculate the switching activity at each test clock pulse or scan cycle. According to some approaches, load vector data and unload vector data are analyzed to determine toggle counts and switching activity, without requiring simulation to be performed.
Netlist partitioning for characterizing effect of within-die variations
Granted: December 17, 2013
Patent Number:
8612199
Techniques are presented for determining effects of process variations on the leakage of an integrated circuit having multiple devices. The operation of the circuit is simulated using a first set of values for the process parameters for the devices and is also simulated with some of the process parameter values varied. For the simulation with the varied values, the circuit is split up into distinct components (such as channeled coupled components, CCCs), where each component has one or…
Methods, systems, and computer-program products for item selection and positioning suitable for high-altitude and context sensitive editing of electrical circuits
Granted: December 17, 2013
Patent Number:
8612923
Methods, systems, computer program products for editing electrical circuits that facilitate and speed the layout of electrical circuits. Embodiments provide high-altitude editing capabilities to the user that enable the user to more easily select circuit items in congested layouts and schematic diagrams, and modify and arrange circuit items with respect to one another in congested layouts and schematic diagrams. Additional embodiments are directed to enabling EDA commands and the like to…
Generalized constraint collection management method
Granted: December 17, 2013
Patent Number:
8612922
Techniques are provided to allow users of Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools to define constraint template types for efficiently associating constraints with design objects to specify design intent. Processes for creating and validating the constraints are provided by user-defined plug-ins, thereby allowing users to annotate circuit designs with constraints for proprietary layout and fabrication processes without exposing the constraints to tool vendors or competitors. The…
Technique for modeling parasitics from layout during circuit design and for parasitic aware circuit design using modes of varying accuracy
Granted: December 17, 2013
Patent Number:
8612921
A user is presented with a simulation environment within which the user is provided a choice to select between parasitic simulation modes of varying accuracy, the modes including a mode without parasitics and a plurality of modes including parasitics with a varying degree of accuracy. A selection from among the modes is received from the user and simulation test are performed at the selected degree of accuracy.
System method and apparatus for vacuity detection
Granted: December 17, 2013
Patent Number:
8612905
A method and apparatus for producing a vacuity detection report to reduce false positive verification results for digital circuits provided. In an exemplary embodiment, a design description of the digital design is generated. From the design description, a vacuity detection problem is derived by introducing an assertion into the design description. By introducing an assertion into the design description, the vacuity detection problem is solvable by formal assertion based verification…
Hardware emulation system having a heterogeneous cluster of processors
Granted: December 17, 2013
Patent Number:
8612201
A hardware emulation system having a heterogeneous cluster of processors is described. The apparatus for emulating a hardware design comprises a plurality of processors, where each processor performs a different function during an emulation cycle. The method performed by the apparatus comprises using a data fetch processor to retrieve data from a data array, evaluating the retrieved data using the data fetch processor to produce an output bit, supplying the output bit to an intracluster…
