Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a computer-implemented method for simulating a circuit design having a discrete domain segment connected to a continuous domain segment at a connection point. The method may include inserting a bidirectional interface element at the connection point located between the discrete domain segment and the continuous domain segment. The method may also include splitting the discrete domain segment into a plurality of transistor network models to provide for bi-directional transfer of data between the continuous domain segment and the discrete domain segment, wherein at least one of the plurality of transistor network models utilizes only one or more drivers external to a module.

Abstract: Electronic design automation systems, methods, and media are presented for modifying a balanced clock structure. One embodiment involves accessing a circuit design comprising an H-tree clock distribution network that provides a clock signal to a plurality of sinks. Timing requirements for each sink are identified, and a plurality of early tapoff candidate locations are also identified. A corresponding arrival time adjustment associated with each early tapoff candidate location is estimated for early sinks, and an early tapoff location is selected for each early sink based on the early arrival timing requirement and the arrival time adjustment associated with the tapoff location. In various embodiments, different criteria may be used for selecting the early tapoff location, and updated circuit designs are then generated with a route from early sinks to the early tapoff location selected for each early sink.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method for use with an electronic design. Embodiments may include receiving, using a processor, the electronic design and identifying a partially routed net associated with the electronic design. Embodiments may further include generating a net graph for the partially routed net and selecting a wire associated with the partially routed net. Embodiments may also include determining a missing current needed to satisfy Kirchhoff's Current Law (“KCL”) along a portion of the wire and generating a virtual terminal attached to the selected wire, wherein the virtual terminal is assigned the missing current.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method for electronic design verification. Embodiments may include receiving, using at least one processor, an electronic design and identifying one or more assumptions associated with the electronic design that are mutually in conflict. Embodiments may further include grouping the one or more assumptions that are mutually in conflict into a conflicting group of assumptions and iteratively disabling at least one of the conflicting group of assumptions. Embodiments may include generating at least one trace pair depicting a scenario where an assumption from a disabled set holds in a first trace but is violated in a second trace. Embodiments may further include identifying at least one signal associated with the first trace and at least one signal associated with the second trace and comparing the at least one signal associated with the first trace and the at least one signal associated with the second trace.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a computer-implemented method for use in an electronic design. Embodiments may include receiving, using at least one processor, an electronic design and linking a printed circuit board (PCB) block to a physical layout associated with the electronic design. Embodiments may further include receiving, at a layout environment, at least one simulation parameter and performing, using a finite difference time domain (“FDTD”) simulator, a time-domain simulation, based upon, at least in part, the at least one simulation parameter.

Abstract: Disclosed are techniques for verifying X-behavior in electronic designs. These techniques identify at least a portion of an electronic design, wherein the at least the portion that includes an input node, an output node, and an internal node located between the input node and the output node. Internal X-propagation proof results may be generated for the internal node based in part or in whole upon an internal precondition and an internal harmless condition for the internal node. X-propagation verification for the output node may then be performed based in part upon one or more assumed properties at the internal node, wherein the one or more assumed properties are assumed at the internal node based in part or in whole upon the internal X-propagation proof results.

Abstract: Embodiments may include receiving an input block of data having one or more rows wherein each row includes one or more elements. Embodiments may further include adjusting the input block of data to generate a two-dimensional sorted block of data and identifying at least one position within the two-dimensional sorted block of data that cannot contain a median value or a desired Nth sorted value. Embodiments may also include sorting the two-dimensional block of data along one or more columns to obtain one or more candidate elements that contain the median value or the desired Nth sorted value. Embodiments may include discarding at least one non-candidate element to generate one or more remaining elements and rearranging the one or more remaining elements such that a number of diagonal elements form a column. Embodiments may also include iteratively repeating some of the above operations until a desired value is identified.

Abstract: Disclosed are techniques for implementing legal placement with contextual awareness for an electronic design. These techniques identify one or more hierarchies from one or more groups or one or more instances located at these one or more hierarchies in a layout or floorplan. A plurality of instances including the one or more identified instances may be promoted to an honorary top hierarchy. A layout operation may then be performed on the one or more identified instances based in part or in whole upon a boundary requirement and context information.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods, systems, and articles of manufacture for manipulating a hierarchical structure of the electronic design. These techniques identify a set of layout components instantiated from a layout of an electronic design. This set of layout components may constitute, for example, a FigGroup. One or more schematic instances and corresponding schematic connectivity information may be identified from a schematic design of the electronic design, and the one or more schematic instances correspond to the set of layout components. A layout cell or a figure group may be generated for the set of layout components based in part or in whole upon the schematic connectivity information. The original layout may then be transformed into a transformed layout at least by replacing the set of layout components with the generated layout cell or figure group.

Abstract: Various embodiments provide for generation of a clock tree for a circuit design using a mix of a set of buffers and a set of inverters. Some embodiments balance use of buffers and inverters such that the generated clock tree leverages buffers to lower driver count and clock tree, and leverages inverters for lower power usage and duty cycles.

Abstract: An improved method, system, and computer program product to perform post-layout simulation of an electronic design is provided. According to one approach, a circuit design is divided into multiple partitions for simulation. Simulation is then performed using the established partitions and results are obtained for the different partitions. When any layout editing occurs, identification can be made of any partitions that have been affected by the editing. The affected partitions are re-processed for simulation. The unaffected partitions do not necessarily need to be reprocessed.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure include systems, methods, devices, and circuits for fast settling of a bias node. Consistent with some embodiments, a bias circuit may include a successive-approximation-register-analog-to-digital converter (SAR-ADC) based settling loop configured to perform a fast settling process for a heavily loaded bias node. The SAR-ADC based loop performs a SAR-ADC process that includes measuring a reference signal to determine a number of cells in a capacitor array that are involved in a charge sharing process while simultaneously completing the settling process for the bias node.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure include systems, methods, devices, and circuits for correcting integral non-linearity using a hybrid phase interpolator. Consistent with some embodiments, a circuit comprises a first and second phase interpolator mixer connected to an injection-locked ring. The first phase interpolator mixer provides a first injection signal to the injection-locked ring based on a clock signal, and the second phase interpolator mixer provides a second injection signal to the injection-locked ring. The first and second injection signals have inverse step size profiles. The injection-locked ring generates a first and second output clock phase based on the first and second injection signals. In generating the first and second output clock phases, the injection-locked ring averages the step size profiles of the first and second injection signals.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods, systems, and articles of manufacture for implementing virtual prototyping for electronic designs. These techniques identify a plurality of leaf cells into a hierarchical physical design of an electronic design, generate the hierarchical physical design at least by performing hierarchical placement for the plurality of leaf cells based in part or in whole upon one or more factors, and revise the placed hierarchical physical design at least by performing hierarchical routing for the plurality of leaf cells on the hierarchical physical design. One aspect may further detach a virtual cell in the hierarchical physical design at least by grouping a first set of leaf cells and representing the first set of leaf cells with a first placeholder.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method for reusing a debugging workspace in an electronic design environment. Embodiments may include performing, using a processor, a verification of an electronic design and identifying at least one triggered property associated with the electronic design. Embodiments may further include identifying at least one fan-in signal associated with the at least one triggered property of the electronic design. Embodiments may also include determining a start point debug location based upon, at least in part, the at least one fan-in signal, wherein the start point debug location includes at least one of signal information, cycle information, and event time information. Embodiments may further include generating a debug workspace, wherein generating includes adding at least one additional debug location and storing a cycle of the additional debug location as a relative cycle that is relative to another debug location associated with the debug workspace.

Abstract: Various embodiments provide for a level shifter with sub-threshold voltage functionality, which permits the level shifter to operate even when a voltage supply to the level shifter falls below a normal operational voltage range of one or more devices (e.g., transistors) within the level shifter. A level shift of an embodiment may operate when a voltage supply falls below a normal operational range in order to save power, which can be useful with respect to battery-operated devices, such an Internet of Things (IoT) sensor.

Abstract: A control-circuit of an emulation system may include one or more serial link inputs communicatively coupled to a serial bus, a serial link input receiving an input control bit from the serial bus. A configurable logic circuit may be configured to receive multiple control bits from the one or more serial link inputs, execute one or more operations on the plurality of input control bits according to programmable logic, and transmit an output control bit to a serial output link.

Abstract: Methods for debugging a failure in a logic circuit design simulation by tracing a X-value are provided. In one aspect, a method includes detecting during a X-propagation logic circuit design simulation a failure at a register transfer level of a logic circuit comprising one or more logic blocks and tracing a X-value in a data path of the one or more logic blocks until the X-value is observed in a control path of the one or more logic blocks. The method also includes identifying a logic block comprising a control signal of the control path in which the X-value is observed, and identifying the logic block in which the X-value is observed as a root cause of the failure. Systems and machine-readable media are also provided.

Abstract: Various embodiments provide for analyzing impedance states of a set of nodes in a circuit design and providing a set of reasons for those impedance states. The set of reasons can include a reason regarding why a particular node is reported as being in high-impedance (highz) state or in low-impedance (lowz) state, and the reason may be for a specific time point during transient analysis of the circuit design. Some embodiments are implemented within a debugging utility of an electronic design automation (EDA) software system.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure address improved systems and methods for designing an integrated circuit design clock tree structure with scaled-load balanced clusters. Consistent with some embodiments, the system may include a clock tree synthesis (CTS) tool configured to recursively group pins to form a set of clusters that are balanced according to a scaled load. During the recursive grouping, the CTS tool scales actual loads of clusters in accordance with a scaling factor that is based on the radius of the cluster. In this way, the scaling factor penalizes large cluster spans during recursive clustering, thereby producing a clock tree structure that meets design rule constraints.