Abstract: A method of estimating congestion for register transfer level code includes steps for receiving as input a floor plan mapped from the register transfer level code, identifying regions in the floor plan, computing routing demand numbers for the regions in the floor plan, computing routing resource numbers for the regions in the floor plan, and generating a congestion estimate of the register transfer level code as a function of the routing demand numbers and the routing resource numbers.

Abstract: A set of tools is provided herein that produces useful, proven, and correct integrated semiconductor chips. Having as input either a customer's requirements for a chip, or a design specification for a partially manufactured semiconductor chip, the tools generate the RTL for control plane interconnect; memory composition, test, and manufacture; embedded logic analysis, trace interconnection, and utilization of spare resources on the chip; I/O qualification, JTAG, boundary scan, and SSO analysis; testable clock generation, control, and distribution; interconnection of all of the shared logic in a testable manner from a transistor fabric and/or configurable blocks in the slice. The input customer requirements are first conditioned by RTL analysis tools to quickly implement its logic. The slice definition and the RTL shell provides the correct logic for a set of logic interfaces for the design specification to connect. The tools share a common database so that logical interactions do not require multiple entries.

Abstract: A tool for designing an integrated circuit and semiconductor product that generates correct RTL for I/O buffer structures in consideration of the requirements of diffused configurable I/O blocks and/or I/O hardmacs of the product. Given either a slice description of a partially manufactured semiconductor product, a designer can generate the I/O resources of an application set. Then given an application set having a transistor fabric, and the diffused configurable I/O blocks and/or the I/O hardmacs, and a plurality of accompanying shells, the I/O generation tool herein automatically reads a database having the slice description and generates the I/O buffer structures from the transistor fabric. The I/O generation tool further conditions and integrates input from either or both customer having her/his own logic and requesting a specific semiconductor product or from IP cores with their preestablished logic.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a first circuit and a second circuit. The first circuit may be configured to generate a plurality of match signals in response to an incoming data signal. Each match signal is generated in response to different search criteria. The second circuit may be configured to present a protocol indication signal in response to the plurality of match signals.

Abstract: A controller for repairing a redundant memory circuit includes a fault storage matrix for mapping a repair solution, a plurality of registers for storing row and column coordinates of the repair solution, and a repair solution calculator coupled to the plurality of registers and the fault storage matrix for receiving an x-coordinate and a y-coordinate of a defective memory cell in the redundant memory circuit and for determining whether a repair solution may be found from the fault storage matrix.

Abstract: An efficient and reliable technique is disclosed for detecting faults which occur in FIFO's, including control faults which are specific to FIFO's, as well as faults common to conventional memories, such as interport faults and faults that occur in single port memories. The technique utilizes a sequence of read, write and control operations, thereby avoiding the need to directly observe internal values within the FIFO, such as the full and empty flag values and the shift register values.

Abstract: A method of generating a length matrix for register transfer level code includes steps for receiving as input register transfer level code, an I/O block list, a plurality of compile units, and a user defined hierarchical depth; mapping the register transfer level code to a design library, generating a connectivity matrix for the plurality of compile units, generating a priority list of interconnections from the connectivity matrix, generating placement coordinates for the compile units from the priority list of interconnections and the connectivity matrix, and generating as output at least one of the connectivity matrix and the placement coordinates.

Abstract: A digitally programmable delay circuit is provided, which includes a control input and a plurality of delay stages coupled in series with one another to form a delay line. Each stage has a previous stage input, a previous stage output, a next stage input and a next stage output. The next stage output and the next stage input are coupled to the previous stage input and the previous stage output, respectively, of a next one of the delay stages in the delay line. The previous stage input is coupled to the next stage output. The previous stage input and the next stage input are selectively coupled to the previous stage output based on the control input.

Abstract: A serial data communication receiver includes a serial data input and a termination resistance, which is coupled to the serial data input and is variable over a range of termination resistance values. An equalizer circuit is coupled to the serial data input and has an equalized serial data output. First and second capture latch circuits are coupled to the equalized serial data output, within a phase-locked loop, and have first and second recovered data outputs, respectively. A termination resistance control circuit measures a data eye size of the equalized serial data output based on the first and second recovered data outputs over the range of termination resistance values and sets the termination resistance to one of the termination resistance values based on the measured data eye sizes.

Abstract: Methods and associated structure for saving and restoration of state information regarding progress of an automated test procedure to permit resumption of the automated test procedure following reset or failure of the automated test system. An automated test system in accordance with the present invention preferably saves state information in a non-volatile storage medium, such as a disk file, indicative of the progress of the test procedure. When the test system environment in which the automated test system is operable is reset or restarted, intentionally or due to failure, the automated test system retrieves previously saved state information from the non-volatile storage medium to resume the automated test process in accordance with the saved state information.

Abstract: Free space on a routed IC is estimated using expanding hierarchical search quadtrees or octrees. Nodes defining rectangular spaces of a layer are created in the tree. Definitions of polygons representing occupied space in the rectangular space are subtracted from a free-space polygon based on the rectangular space. A cost factor is identified for the node, and the process repeats with additional feature polygons until either the cost factor exceeds a maximum or no further feature polygons exist in the layer. If the cost factor exceeds the limit, the node is fractured into child nodes, each defining a quadrant of the parent rectangular space and each containing polygon definitions from the parent node. The process repeats until either the cost factor for each node is not greater than the limit or a dimension of the rectangular space of the node reaches a selected minimum. The nodes define free spaces, which are summed to identify the free space on the IC layer.

Abstract: Devices (e.g. “servers”) in a data storage system access data contained in logical volumes contained in a plurality of storage devices or storage arrays. The servers issue access requests through any available transfer path from the servers to the storage devices or storage arrays. I/O (input/output) devices control access between the servers and devices that control access to the data (e.g. “array controllers”), so that the access requests from the servers are uniformly routed to the preferred array controllers independently of the transfer paths through which the servers issue the access requests.

Abstract: A method of integrated circuit design and a circuit design tool. Critical paths are identified in an integrated circuit design. Identified edges are weighted. Edges are assigned a higher weight responsive to the number of critical paths in which they are included. A net criticality is assigned to each weighted edge based upon the edge's weight. Cells are re-placed and wired according to net criticality.

Abstract: A digital audio decoder is described. The digital audio decoder includes: (i) an audio core which defines hardware for matrixing and windowing during decoding of MPEG digital audio signals such that matrixing coefficients are multiplied by discrete modified sample values during the matrixing operation; and (ii) an input RAM coupled to the audio core and configured to store the discrete modified sample values calculated outside the audio core in preparation for the matrixing operation and configured to store intermediate values calculated by the audio core during the matrixing operation that are written back to the input RAM. The modified sample values represent either a summation of two samples of MPEG audio data or a difference of the two samples of MPEG audio data. A process of decoding MPEG digital audio signals in a digital audio decoder including a firmware and a hardware, both of which are configured to decode MPEG audio signals, is also described.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a plurality of serially coupled delay cells configured to generate an output signal having a frequency varied in response to a control signal. Each of the delay cells may be configured to generate one or more intermediate signals in response to the control signal and present the intermediate signals to a next of the delay cells. One or more next to the last of the intermediate signals may be fed back to a first of the delay cells. One or more last of the intermediate signals may be presented as the output signal.

Abstract: An integrated circuit structure is disclosed wherein the capacitance between nearby conductive portions may be lowered using carbon-containing low k silicon oxide dielectric material, without contributing to the problem of via poisoning, by careful control of the carbon content of the dielectric material in two regions of the integrated circuit structure. The first region comprises the region between adjacent raised conductive lines formed over an underlying insulation layer, where undesirable capacitance may be formed horizontally between such adjacent conductive lines, while the second region comprises the region above the raised conductive lines where vias are normally formed extending upward from the raised conductive lines through the dielectric layer to an overlying layer of metal interconnects.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to power routing with obstacles. A method for determining strap location for power routing in an integrated circuit may include receiving input parameters, the input parameters including a number N indicating a number of straps to be located, wherein a strap of the number of straps is denoted as i. An initial strap placement is found for 1 through N straps and strap placement is calculated by relocating a strap if an obstacle is encountered in an initial strap placement, the relocated strap utilized to relocate at least one other strap of the 1 through N straps. Strap placement may be calculated by employing a local gradient method, dynamic programming, and like methods as contemplated by a person of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

Abstract: A circuit generally comprising a command buffer and a read buffer is disclosed. The command buffer may be configured to (i) buffer a plurality of read commands received by the circuit, wherein each read command has one of a plurality of port values and one of a plurality of identification values and (ii) transmit a tag signal from the circuit in response to servicing a particular read command of the read commands. The tag signal may have a particular port value of the port values and a particular identification value of the identification values as determined by the particular read command. The read buffer may be configured to transmit a read signal within a plurality of first transfers from the circuit in response to servicing the particular read command.

Abstract: A method for performing motion estimation comprising the steps of (a) determining one or more first vectors representative of a displacement of a first block of a first image in a second image and (b) determining one or more second vectors representative of a displacement of the first block in the second image and a first sub-block and second sub-block of the first block based upon the one or more first vectors, a plurality of error scores, and a combination of the plurality of error scores.

Abstract: A circuit generally comprising a plurality of read input registers, a read output register, a write input register and a plurality of write output registers is generally disclosed. The read input registers may be configured to buffer a first read signal received within a plurality of first transfers. The read output register may be configured to transmit the first read signal in a second transfer. The write input register may be configured to buffer a first write signal received in a third transfer. The write output registers may be configured to transmit the first write signal within a plurality of fourth transfers.