On-chip memory diagnostics
Granted: December 13, 2022
Patent Number:
11527298
An on-chip memory diagnostic (OCMD) circuit may instruct a set of built-in self-test (BIST) engines to execute BIST on memories associated with the set of BIST engines. Next, results of executing BIST on the memories may be received from the set of BIST engines. A set of memory failures may then be identified in the memories based on the results. Next, one or more BIST engines in the set of BIST engines may be instructed to collect diagnostic data for each memory failure. A set of…
Clock network power estimation for logical designs
Granted: December 13, 2022
Patent Number:
11526642
An implementation-quality synthesis process begins with a logical design of an integrated circuit and, through a series of steps, generates a fully synthesized physical design of the integrated circuit. One of the steps is clock synthesis, which generates the clock network for the integrated circuit. In certain embodiments, a method includes the following steps. A reduced clock synthesis process is applied, rather than the implementation-quality clock synthesis process. This generates a…
Formal gated clock conversion for field programmable gate array (FPGA) synthesis
Granted: December 13, 2022
Patent Number:
11526641
Some aspects of this disclosure are directed to implementing formal gated clock conversion for field programmable gate array (FPGA) synthesis. For example, some aspects of this disclosure relate to a method, including receiving network representation of a circuit design, determining a gated clock function corresponding to a target component of the network representation, and constructing an edge function based at least in part on the gated clock function. The method further includes…
Electro-thermal method to manufacture monocrystalline vertically oriented silicon channels for three-dimensional (3D) NAND memories
Granted: December 6, 2022
Patent Number:
11521985
A method of forming a multitude of vertical NAND memory cells, includes, in part, forming a multitude of insulating materials on a silicon substrate, forming a trench in the insulating materials to expose a surface of the silicon substrate, depositing a layer of polysilicon along the sidewalls of the trench, filling the trench with oxide, forming a metal layer above the trench, and forming a mono-crystalline channel for the NAND memory cells by applying a voltage between the silicon…
Accurately calculating multi-input switching delay of complemantary-metal-oxide semiconductor gates
Granted: December 6, 2022
Patent Number:
11520962
Techniques and systems for determining an output waveform at an output of a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) logic gate are described. Some embodiments can identify at least one set of inputs of the CMOS logic gate that, when switched together, causes multiple transistors coupled in parallel to simultaneously turn-on and drive the output of the CMOS logic gate. Next, the embodiments can determine a set of current source models that are coupled in parallel to model the CMOS…
Semiconductor digital logic circuitry for non-quantum enablement of quantum algorithms
Granted: November 29, 2022
Patent Number:
11514209
Circuitry and processes are disclosed that use conventional electronic circuits (comprising, for example, phase locked loops, pulse width modulators, phase modulators, digital logic gates, etc.) to enable quantum algorithms. Such circuitry and processes achieve the requirement for non-quantum devices to enable quantum algorithms: the tensor product entanglement of signals representing quantum states. Such circuitry and processes are readily usable by current Electronic Design Automation…
Accelerating formal property verification across design versions using sequential equivalence checking
Granted: November 22, 2022
Patent Number:
11507719
A system and method for providing formal property verification across circuit design versions is described. In one embodiment, the system receives a first version and a second version of a circuit design. The received first version has a first set of constraints, a first set of next-state functions representing the first version of the circuit design, and a first property that has been verified as true for the first version of the circuit design. The received second version has a second…
Analog mixed-signal assertion-based checker system
Granted: November 15, 2022
Patent Number:
11501050
A design for an analog mixed-signal (AMS) circuit is accessed. An assertion for verifying the behavior of an analog signal in the AMS circuit is also accessed. The assertion is expressed in an assertion language for AMS circuits. A processor verifies the assertion against the predicted behavior of the analog signal in the AMS circuit. In various embodiments, the assertion language contains predefined classes for assertions in the temporal domain, for assertions in the frequency domain,…
Estimating hardness of formal properties using on-the-fly machine learning
Granted: November 15, 2022
Patent Number:
11501048
A machine learning model predicts the hardness of unsolved properties. For example, the machine learning model may predict the relative hardness of pairs of properties—i.e., which property in the pair is harder to solve. These hardness predictions may then be used to formulate a priority order for a formal verification process to attempt to solve the unsolved properties. As the formal verification process progresses, it generates results. For example, certain properties may be solved.…
Dynamic random-access memory pass transistors with statistical variations in leakage currents
Granted: November 8, 2022
Patent Number:
11494539
The design of Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) pass transistors is provided via generating a first plurality of transistor leakage currents by simulating different dopant configurations in a transistor; generating a second plurality of transistor leakage currents by simulating, for each dopant configuration of the different dopant configurations, a single trap insertion in the transistor; fitting the first and second pluralities of transistor leakage currents with first and second…
Knob refinement techniques
Granted: November 8, 2022
Patent Number:
11494199
A system and method for knob refinement. A method includes determining an ordered list of knobs organized with respect to impact on the target metric for a system based on a plurality of historical sets of target metric measurements; determining a second system configuration based on the ordered list of knobs and a first set of target metric measurements recorded for the system when the system is configured according to a first system configuration, the system having a plurality of…
Power estimation system
Granted: November 8, 2022
Patent Number:
11493971
A method of power test analysis for an integrated circuit design including loading test vectors into a first sequence of flip-flops in scan mode, evaluating the test vectors and saving results of the evaluating in a second sequence of flip-flops in scan mode, reading results out of the second sequence of flip-flops to a scan chain, and calculating power generation based on the results. In one embodiment, the test vectors are received from an automatic test pattern generator.
Robotic systems and corresponding methods for engaging server back-plane connectors
Granted: November 8, 2022
Patent Number:
11491648
A linear motion actuation system and method of using the same may be utilized for installing or removing a server blade within a server rack, via a linear motion assembly fastened to a server blade and configured for linear motion with the server blade; a bracket fastened to a server rack; and at least one linear motion actuator comprising: a first component secured with the linear motion assembly; and a second component movably secured with the first component and secured with the…
Josephson junction structures
Granted: November 1, 2022
Patent Number:
11489102
Josephson junction (JJ) structures are disclosed. In some embodiments, a JJ structure may include a first superconducting structure and a second superconducting structure disposed on a plane parallel to a silicon wafer surface. A non-superconducting structure may be disposed between the first superconducting structure and the second superconducting structure. A direction of current flow through the non-superconducting structure may be parallel to the silicon wafer surface.
Pattern matching using anchors during integrated circuit verification
Granted: November 1, 2022
Patent Number:
11487930
Pattern matching using anchors during integrated circuit (IC) verification is disclosed. According to one embodiment, a method includes obtaining match time estimates associated with pattern anchors of different anchor types for an IC pattern, generating revised match time estimates based on a target IC layout, and then selecting the pattern anchor associated with the shortest revised match time estimate. Then, target anchors of the same anchor type as the selected pattern anchor are…
Learning-based toggle estimation
Granted: October 18, 2022
Patent Number:
11475293
A method of estimating a toggle count of a circuit, includes, in part, simulating the circuit to generate training data and an associated training toggle count of the internal nodes of the circuit in response to a test bench, training a neural network system to generate an estimate of the training toggle count in accordance with the training data and the associated training toggle count, simulating the circuit to generate simulation data in response to a first set of input values applied…
Inclusion of stochastic behavior in source mask optimization
Granted: October 18, 2022
Patent Number:
11475201
A method of generating a mask used in fabrication of a semiconductor device includes, in part, selecting a source candidate, generating a process simulation model that includes a stochastic variance band model in response to the selected source candidate, performing a first optical proximity correction (OPC) on the data associated with the mask in response to the process simulation model, assessing one or more lithographic evaluation metrics in response to the OPC mask data, computing a…
Hardware simulation systems and methods for identifying state-holding loops and oscillating loops
Granted: October 18, 2022
Patent Number:
11475197
A circuit hardware emulation module is configured to identify oscillating subgraphs of an emulated graph, or to identify state-holding subgraphs of an emulated graph. The emulation module identifies one or more loops within an emulated circuit; generates an acyclic emulation of at least a portion of the emulated circuit, wherein the acyclic emulation is characterized by one or more loop breakers; generates a loop detector emulation of a hardware-based loop detector circuit based at least…
Machine learning (ML)-based static verification for derived hardware-design elements
Granted: October 11, 2022
Patent Number:
11467851
Disclosed herein are system, computer-readable storage medium, and method embodiments of machine-learning (ML)-based static verification for derived hardware-design elements. A system including at least one processor may be configured to extract a feature set from a hardware description and evaluate a similarity index of a first hardware element with respect to a second hardware element, using an ML process based on the feature set, wherein the first hardware element is described in the…
Information theoretic subgraph caching
Granted: October 11, 2022
Patent Number:
11468218
Computer-implemented techniques are disclosed for verifying circuit designs using subgraph caching. A device under test (DUT) is modeled as a graph. The graph is partitioned into one or more subgraphs and problems are generated for each subgraph. Graph and subgraph problem generation is repeated numerous times throughout the verification process. Problems and sub-problems are generated and solved. When a subgraph problem is solved, the problem's variables, values, and information can be…
