Scalable formal security verification of circuit designs
Granted: January 17, 2023
Patent Number:
11556676
A security verification system performs security verification of a circuit design. The security verification system simplifies formal security verification of the circuit design by replacing circuit blocks of the circuit with black box circuit blocks. The security verification system instruments the circuit design so that black-boxing can be performed for security verification without changing the security decision over the data paths. The security verification system uses dependence…
Automatic root cause analysis of complex static violations by static information repository exploration
Granted: January 17, 2023
Patent Number:
11556406
The independent claims of this patent signify a concise description of embodiments. An automatic process for determining and/or predicting the original root-cause(s) of a violation is proposed using two major enhancements on top of the current VC-Static solution. First, an information repository is created by mining various Static checker components' analysis information, and second, an analysis framework is created which systematically prunes the above-mentioned information repository…
Using mask fabrication models in correction of lithographic masks
Granted: January 17, 2023
Patent Number:
11556052
A lithography process is described by a design for a lithographic mask and a description of the lithography configuration, which may include the lithography source, collection/illumination optics, projection optics, resist, and/or subsequent fabrication steps. The actual lithography process uses a lithographic mask fabricated from the mask design, which may be different than the nominal mask design. A mask fabrication model models the process for fabricating the lithographic mask from…
Implementing and verifying safety measures in a system design based on safety specification generated from safety requirements
Granted: January 10, 2023
Patent Number:
11550979
A system enhances a system design to incorporate safety measures. The system receives a system design for processing through various stages of design using design tools, for example electronic design automation tools for introducing safety features in a circuit design. The system receives safety requirements for the system design, the safety requirements specifying safety measures for the system design. The system generates from the safety requirements, a safety specification storing a…
On-the-fly computation of analog mixed-signal (AMS) measurements
Granted: January 3, 2023
Patent Number:
11544435
The present disclosure generally relates to an analog mixed-signal (AMS) design verification system. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a system and method for system verification. One example method includes: obtaining an electronic representation of the circuit design; generating at least a portion of a waveform using the electronic representation of the circuit to obtain a first segment of the waveform associated with the circuit; converting, via the one or more…
Timing and placement co-optimization for engineering change order (ECO) cells
Granted: December 27, 2022
Patent Number:
11537775
A system and method for providing timing and placement co-optimization for engineering change order (ECO) cells is described. According to one embodiment, an ECO for a current design of an integrated circuit is accessed. The ECO includes inserting an ECO cell among placed and routed current cells of the current design. A target region in the current design is identified for placement of the ECO cell, but the target region has insufficient open space to place the ECO cell. At least one…
Enhanced read sensing margin for SRAM cell arrays
Granted: December 20, 2022
Patent Number:
11532352
This disclosure describes a memory cell array with enhanced read sensing margin. The memory cell array includes a write port and a read port being connected through first and second data storage lines. The memory cell array further includes multiple word lines and bit lines arranged in rows and columns such that the read port is coupled to a read word line, a read bit line, and a virtual ground. The read port includes a first transistor coupled to at least the read bit line and the…
Vector generation for maximum instantaneous peak power
Granted: December 20, 2022
Patent Number:
11531797
A system and method for performing operating state analysis of an integrated circuit (IC) design is disclosed. The method includes simulating a switching operation from a first operating state to a second operating state for one or more cells of the IC design using a plurality of vectors corresponding to one or more user-specified constraints. The method include generating a time-based waveform for each cell of the one or more cells changing an operating state from the first operating…
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…
Circuit for extended voltage control oscillator gain linearity
Granted: December 13, 2022
Patent Number:
11527991
A voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) circuitry includes a varactor array. The varactor array includes a first varactor unit including a first varactor, a second varactor, and first switch circuitry. The first varactor is connected to a first node and a second node, and the second varactor is connected to the second node and a third node. The second node receives a voltage control signal. The first switch circuitry is electrically coupled to the first node and the third node, and…
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.…
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…
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.
