Abstract: Management of controls in a graphical user interface (GUI) of a computer system. In one aspect, a command is received to create and display a window in the GUI, the window including one or more controls, each control operative to perform a function of an application in response to selection. An associated scope for each control is determined and indicates an extent of shared use of the control within the GUI. It is determined if a different instance of the control already exists within the scope for the control. If so, resources of the different instance are referenced to be shared for use with the control and new resources are not created for the control. If no different instance exists within the scope, new resources for the control are created and stored. The window and the controls in the GUI are displayed.
Abstract: A test object can be selectively included in a test run based on predicting the behavior of the test object. In one embodiment, the present invention includes predicting how likely the test object is to produce a failure in a test run and deciding whether to include the test object in the test run based on the predicted likelihood. This likelihood of producing a failure may be based on any number of circumstances. For example, these circumstances may include the history of prior failures and/or the length of time since the test object was last included in a test run.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
May 7, 2007
Date of Patent:
April 1, 2014
Assignee:
Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
Inventors:
Steven G. Esposito, Kiran Chhabra, Saran Prasad, D. Scott Baeder
Abstract: Decoding information using error-correcting codes includes, in one aspect, receiving transmitted information that includes original information coded using an error correction coding technique, and using at least one processor to iteratively decode the transmitted information to correct transmission errors and determine the original information. The iterative decoding includes determining that the iterative decoding has become trapped in a trapping set before a predetermined maximum number of iterations has been performed. Some embodiments allow that, in response to determining the trapping set, an exit can be performed from the iterative decoding before the predetermined maximum number of iterations has been performed.
Abstract: Some embodiments of the invention provide a method for verifying an integrated circuit (IC) design. The method receives a process description file that specifies a process technology for building the IC. The process description file describes a particular device type in which a first conductor overlaps a second conductor by recessing from the second conductor in one or more cut-outs. Based on the process description file, the method finds a section of the IC design that matches the particular device type and uses the description of the particular device type to compute a capacitance value and a resistance value for the section of the IC design.
Abstract: Decoding information using error-correcting codes includes, in one aspect, receiving transmitted information that includes original information coded using an error correction coding technique, and using at least one processor to iteratively decode the transmitted information to correct transmission errors and determine the original information. The iterative decoding includes, in response to becoming trapped in a trapping set, adjusting information used in the iterative decoding and using the adjusted information to break the trapping set and continue the iterative decoding.
Abstract: Testing of memories is done using an optimized memory built-in-self-test (MBIST) approach, including the generation of compact models for memory. Cost functions are constructed from estimated parameters affecting MBIST, and a user is able to assign relative weights to the parameters. Estimated parameters include MBIST area, wiring congestion, and timing overhead, as well as power consumption and timing. The cost functions are minimized using optimization techniques, resulting in an optimized grouping of memory devices and an optimized schedule for MBIST testing. The estimated parameters may be derived from a compact model constructed from data experimentally-derived from various memory devices. This approach allows a circuit designer to generate and revise groupings and schedules prior to running a full design flow, saving time and cost, while still achieving high-quality results.
Type:
Application
Filed:
September 24, 2012
Publication date:
March 27, 2014
Applicant:
Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
Inventors:
Norman Card, Puneet Arora, Steven Gregor, Navneet Kaushik
Abstract: Testing of memories is done using an optimized memory built-in-self-test (MBIST) approach, including the generation of compact models for memory. Cost functions are constructed from estimated parameters affecting MBIST, and a user is able to assign relative weights to the parameters. Estimated parameters include MBIST area, wiring congestion, and timing overhead, as well as power consumption and timing. The cost functions are minimized using optimization techniques, resulting in an optimized grouping of memory devices and an optimized schedule for MBIST testing. The estimated parameters may be derived from a compact model constructed from data experimentally-derived from various memory devices. This approach allows a circuit designer to generate and revise groupings and schedules prior to running a full design flow, saving time and cost, while still achieving high-quality results.
Type:
Application
Filed:
September 24, 2012
Publication date:
March 27, 2014
Applicant:
Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
Inventors:
Puneet Arora, Navneet Kaushik, Steven Gregor, Norman Card
Abstract: Various embodiments of the invention provide systems and methods for semiconductor device fabrication and generation of photomasks for patterning a target layout of line features and large features. Embodiments of the invention are directed towards systems and methods using self-aligned double pattern to define the target layout of line features and large features.
Abstract: Disclosed are improved methods, systems, and computer program products for generating and optimizing an I/O ring arrangement for an electronic design. Corner packing is one approach that can be taken to optimizing an I/O ring. Stacking of I/O components provides another approach for optimizing an I/O ring.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
December 23, 2010
Date of Patent:
March 25, 2014
Assignee:
Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
Inventors:
Thaddeus Clay McCracken, Miles P. McGowan
Abstract: A method is provided to test an integrated circuit design for power management circuit design errors comprising: configuring a computer to identify multiple power domain crossing paths between pairs of power domains; identify one or more power related constraints associated with such power domain crossing paths; and group power domain crossing paths between matching power domain pairs that are associated with matching power related constraints.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
November 30, 2012
Date of Patent:
March 25, 2014
Assignee:
Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
Inventors:
Mitchell W Hines, Chung-Fu Chang, Reuber Duarte
Abstract: A apparatus and method for conducting fault sensitivity analysis of the analog portions of a mixed signal circuit design includes simulating the fault free circuit design, inserting a fault into the analog portion of the circuit design, simulating the circuit design with the fault during a fault interval time period, and determining whether the fault is detectable.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
November 21, 2012
Date of Patent:
March 25, 2014
Assignee:
Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
Inventors:
Donald J. O'Riordan, Ilya Yusim, Zhipeng Liu
Abstract: A method is provided to test a modular integrated circuit (IC) comprising: testing a module-under-test (MUT) within the IC while causing a controlled toggle rate within a first neighbor module of the MUT; wherein the controlled toggle rate within the first neighbor module is selected so that toggling within the first neighbor module has substantially the same effect upon operation of the MUT that operation of the first neighbor module would have during actual normal functional operation of the first neighbor module.
Abstract: A user interface to an application processing complex data of multiple data view abstractions allows selection, placement, size and other configurable characteristics of interface components to be controlled by a user and then associated with the data abstraction and processing task. Multiple configurations may be created to simplify the interface to include only necessary controls given an abstraction level of the data view and the task on that data. The configurations may be stored using symbolic references and subsequently loaded on demand into the interface. Mechanisms may be applied to ensure that similarly referenced configurations in storage are resolved and only the desired configuration is applied.
Abstract: A approach is described for allowing electronic design, verification, and optimization tools to implement very efficient approaches to allow the tools to directly address the effects of manufacturing processes, e.g., to identify and prevent problems caused by lithography processing. Fast models and pattern checking are employed to integrate lithography and manufacturing aware processes within EDA tools such as routers.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
June 27, 2012
Date of Patent:
March 18, 2014
Assignee:
Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
Inventors:
Ya-Chieh Lai, Frank Gennari, Matthew Moskewicz, Srinivas Doddi, Junjiang Lei, Weiping Fang, Kuanghao Lay
Abstract: Disclosed are improved methods, systems, and computer program products for visualizing and estimating IC die arrangement for an electronic design, and for performing chip planning and estimation based upon the estimated and visualized IC die arrangements. According to some approaches, an interface is provided for visualizing different die arrangement options for an electronic design, in which a filmstrip view is provided to display smaller images of different die arrangement options, and a central viewing area is provided to view a larger image of a selected candidate die arrangement. The different images, whether smaller or larger images, are maintained with design object information and not just static images. This allows for selection and highlighting of individual objects within the die arrangement images, as well as corresponding highlighting of that same object in other images.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
August 26, 2011
Date of Patent:
March 18, 2014
Assignee:
Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
Inventors:
Joseph P. Jarosz, Thaddeus C. McCracken
Abstract: Embodiments provide methods, systems, devices, and/or machine readable storage medium for memory built-in self testing (memory BIST) that may not require JTAG. Embodiments may provide less chip overhead through the use of one or more direct access pins. Embodiments may provide simple checks to determine if the memories on a chip are good or bad with minimal cost, for example. In some cases, the memory BIST may determine whether or not memories are good when the chip powers on. Some embodiments may also perform stress testing on the memories to force early life failures of the memories. Embodiments do not necessarily have to diagnose failures.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
June 20, 2011
Date of Patent:
March 18, 2014
Assignee:
Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
Inventors:
Steven Lee Gregor, Norman Robert Card, Hanumantha Raya, Puneet Arora
Abstract: Disclosed are a method, apparatus, and computer program product to implement routing for double patterning lithography. A three-phase routing scheme is employed, comprising a global router, a C-router, and a detail router. The C-router provides double patterning color seeding for routing tracks in the electronic design. The detail router employs space-tiles to perform double-patterning based routing for wires in the electronic design.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
December 29, 2010
Date of Patent:
March 11, 2014
Assignee:
Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
Inventors:
Jeffrey Scott Salowe, Satish Samuel Raj
Abstract: The present invention introduces methods, systems, and architectures for routing clock signals in an integrated circuit layout. The introduced clock signal clock signal structures are rendered with non Manhattan routing. In a first embodiment, the traditional recursive H clock signal structure is rendered after transforming the coordinates system such that a rotated recursive H clock signal structure is rendered. In another embodiment, a recursive Y structure is used to create a clock signal structure. The recursive Y structure may also be implemented in a rotated alignment. For clock signal redundancy, non Manhattan wiring may be used to create a clock signal mesh network.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
May 3, 2010
Date of Patent:
March 11, 2014
Assignee:
Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
Inventors:
Steven Teig, Raghu Chalasani, Akira Fujimura
Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method for avoiding deadends in a constrained simulation. The method may include analyzing a first deadend during a simulation and a first constraint of the simulation. The method may further include determining if the first constraint causes the first deadend. If the first constraint causes the first deadend, the method may also include defining a first lookahead constraint corresponding to the first constraint. The method may additionally include rerunning a first previous cycle in the simulation while adding the first lookahead constraint to the simulation.
Abstract: An apparatus and method for determining an optimal global quantum value for use in event-driven simulations of a device are disclosed herein. The device is simulated using information representative of a device design corresponding to the device, the simulation of the device comprising an event-driven simulation using a provisional global quantum value. Events included in a sequence chart corresponding to the simulation using the provisional global quantum value are compared against expected events. Based on the comparison detecting at least one of the expected events being absent in the sequence chart, providing the optimal global quantum value as being smaller than the provisional global quantum value. Based on the comparison detecting no difference between the events in the sequence chart and the expected events, providing the optimal global quantum value as being larger than the provisional global quantum value.
Type:
Application
Filed:
September 5, 2012
Publication date:
March 6, 2014
Applicant:
Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
Inventors:
Qizhang Chao, Neeti K. Bhatnagar, George F. Frazier, Tuay-Ling Kathy Lang, Andrew Wilmot