Abstract: In one aspect, a transistor-level description of a circuit is accessed, where the circuit includes a plurality of transistors. A transistor-level circuit simulation of the circuit's response to an input stimulus is performed, based on the transistor-level description of the circuit. Activity levels for the transistors in the circuit are determined from the transistor-level circuit simulation. A graphical representation of the circuit is rendered. The graphical representation contains graphical elements that represent components of the circuit, and the graphical elements are visually coded according to the activity levels of the transistors in the corresponding components.

Abstract: Embodiments relate to reading signals from a stimulus file produced by an emulator into a data store. A method includes executing, by a set of one or more worker processes, reading tasks. Each reading task is executable independent of other reading tasks. Each reading task includes reading a time slice of a signal from a stimulus file produced by a hardware emulator, and pushing a partial waveform corresponding to the time slice to a data store. The partial waveform includes a head and a tail that each has a smaller data size than an entirety of the partial waveform. The method further includes executing stitching tasks. The stitching tasks include pulling the heads and tails of the partial waveform from the data store, modifying the heads and tails to indicate a temporal order of the partial waveforms, and pushing the modified heads and tails back to the data store.

Abstract: A process is disclosed to identify the minimal set of sequential and combinational signals needed to fully reconstruct the combinational layout after emulation is complete. A minimal subset of sequential and combinational elements is output from the emulator to maximize the emulator speed and limit the utilization of emulator resources, e.g., FPGA resources. An efficient reconstruction of combinational waveforms or SAIF data is performed using a parallel computing grid.

Abstract: A method includes generating a channel configuration between a first signal pin of a first integrated circuit (IC) die and a second signal pin of a second IC die based on a multiplex data rate (XDR) of the first signal pin and the second signal pin. The channel configuration includes an association of the XDR to a channel. The method also includes determining a signal pin channel assignment based on the channel configuration, updating the channel configuration based on the signal pin channel assignment and a wirelength representative of a total distance between the first signal pin, the second signal pin, and physical ports of the channel, and performing socket instantiation based on the updated channel configuration and the signal pin channel assignment.

Abstract: Aspects described herein relate to mask synthesis using design guided offsets. A target shape on an image surface to be fabricated using a mask based on a design of an integrated circuit is obtained. Rays are generated emanating from respective anchor points. The anchor points are on a boundary of the target shape or a boundary of a mask shape of the mask. For each ray of the rays, a distance is defined between a first intersection of the respective ray and the boundary of the target shape and a second intersection of the respective ray and the boundary of the mask shape. An analysis is performed by one or more processors, where the analysis is configured to modify the distances based on an error between the target shape and a resulting shape simulated to be on the image surface resulting from the mask shape.

Abstract: Some aspects of this disclosure are directed to an automated method to check electrostatic discharge (ESD) effect on a victim device. For example, some aspects of this disclosure relate to a method, including determining a probe point, in a circuit design, for determining effective resistance between the probe point and ground, where the probe point is on an ESD path of in the circuit design. The method includes determining voltage between the probe point and the ground. The method further includes comparing, by a processing device, a resistance value of the ESD path determined based a predefined electric current value at a source point and the measured voltage with a target resistance value range. The method further includes reporting a violation upon determining that the determined resistance value of the ESD path is outside the target resistance value range.

Abstract: A method for forming ultra-high density integrated circuitry, such as for a 6T SRAM, for example, is provided. The method involves applying double patterning litho-etch litho-etch (LELE) and using a spacer process to shrink the critical dimension of features. To improve process margins, the method implements a double-patterning technique by modifying the layout and splitting cross-coupling straps into two colors (e.g., each color corresponds to a mask-etch process). In addition, a spacer process is implemented to shrink feature size and increase the metal-to-metal spacing between the two cross-coupling straps, in order to improve process margin and electrical performance. This is achieved by depositing a spacer layer over an opening in a hardmask, followed by spacer etch back. The opening is thus shrunk by the amount of spacer thickness. The strap-to-strap spacing may then be increased by twice the amount of spacer thickness.

Abstract: A compilation system accesses a compilation operations that can be used by a compiler to compile a design under test (DUT). The compilation system can determine a sequence of the compilation operations for the compiler to perform the compilation. The compilation system can detect a failure at a first compilation operation of the sequence of operations during the compilation of the DUT, and the compilation of the DUT can be paused after the failure is detected. The compilation system can determine a second compilation operation of the accessed compilation operations based on one or more netlist parameters of the DUT's netlist. The compilation system then modifies the sequence of compilation operations based on the second compilation operation and resumes the compilation of the DUT at the second compilation operation using the modified sequence of compilation operations.

Abstract: Embodiments provide for building a global clock tree. In embodiments, an example method includes inserting clock drivers at symmetric locations in one or more hierarchy levels of a plurality of hierarchy levels of an integrated circuit (IC) design. The example method further includes generating one or more routes by routing one or more nets within or across the one or more hierarchy levels of the plurality of hierarchy levels. The example method further includes matching symmetric routes of the one or more routes at each of the one or more hierarchy levels irrespective of a number of physical hierarchies each associated net spans. The example method further includes placing one or more ports at one or more signal entry points where routes of the one or more routes cross physical hierarchy blocks.

Abstract: A layout geometry of a lithographic mask is received. The layout geometry is partitioned into feature images, for example as selected from a library. The library contains predefined feature images and their corresponding precalculated mask 3D (M3D) filters. The M3D filter for a feature image represents the electromagnetic scattering effect of that feature image for a given source illumination. The mask function contribution from each of the feature images is calculated by convolving the feature image with its corresponding M3D filter. The mask function contributions are combined to determine a mask function for the lithographic mask illuminated by the source illumination.

Abstract: A method and a system for correcting cyclic redundancy check (CRC) for a frame with last bytes changed are provided. The method includes acquiring a data frame, calculating a CRC of a modified data frame, and determining a corrected CRC for the data frame based on at least the CRC of the modified data frame and a CRC correction field calculated on the bytes to be replaced at the end of the frame. An altered data frame includes the data frame with a number of last bytes of the data frame replaced with new bytes.

Abstract: A directed acyclic graph (DAG) and an extended regular expression (ERE) may be received. A circuit design may be generated based on the DAG. A cover property may be generated based on the ERE. The circuit design may be simulated. A first result may be determined based on whether the cover property is satisfied during the simulating the circuit design. It may be determined whether the ERE matches a path in the DAG based on the first result.

Abstract: A method includes receiving a netlist for a chip including a bus and determining, by one or more processors and based on the netlist, a first routing topology for the bus and through a routing region of the chip by comparing a demand of the bus to a capacity of a plurality of cells of the routing region. The method also includes generating a layout for the chip based on the first routing topology.

Abstract: A method includes identifying state holding pipeline stages in a pipeline path of a design for test (DFT) of an integrated circuit design, splitting each pattern of a plurality of patterns into a first part and a second part, reformatting the plurality of patterns to generate another plurality of patterns such that the first part and the second part of each pattern of the plurality patterns are included in different patterns of the another plurality of patterns. The length of the first part is a function of a number of the identified pipeline stages.

Abstract: On-the-fly multi-bit flip-flop (MBFF) generation is provided by selecting at least two flip-flop blocks from a plurality of candidate flip-flop blocks; identifying a control block from a plurality of candidate control blocks, the control block being identified based on operational specifications of the selected flip-flop blocks; and generating a multi-bit flip-flop instance based on the selected flip-flop blocks and the identified control block.

Abstract: Embodiments herein include detecting a transformation in a circuit layout before clock tree synthesis is performed, and in response, estimating a latency offset, relative to a global latency value, for a clock pin in a clock gate circuit. Moreover, the embodiments includes determining, based on the latency offset, a timing constraint for combinational logic configured to generate an enable signal for the clock gate circuit and adjusting the circuit layout based on the timing constraint to affect when the combinational logic generates the enable signal.

Abstract: A method including creating a first bus guide and a second bus guide of a plurality of bus guides for an integrated circuit is disclosed. The method includes routing the first bus guide and the second bus guide through a plurality of layout blocks of the integrated circuit. The method includes annotating the first bus guide or the second bus guide to identify a plurality of areas for placing a plurality of repeaters within the first bus guide or the second bus guide. The method includes, based on the annotated first bus guide and the second bus guide, generating, by at least one processor, a plurality of guidance directories corresponding to a plurality of routes through the plurality of layout blocks for placing the plurality of repeaters at the plurality of layout blocks on the identified plurality of areas on the first bus guide or the second bus guide.

Abstract: Systems and methods for automatic test pattern generation (ATPG) for parametric faults are described. A model may be constructed to predict a measurement margin for an integrated circuit (IC) design based on a random sample of random variables. A set of failure events may be determined for the IC design using the model, where each failure event may correspond to a set of values of the random variables that is expected to cause a metric for the IC design to violate a threshold.

Abstract: An integrated circuit includes a memory cell array coupled to a bitline and a first wordline and a negative-type metal-oxide-semiconductors (NMOS) pull-down structure coupled to the bitline and PMOS transistors. The positive-type metal-oxide-semiconductors (PMOS) transistors may be coupled to a second wordline, where a logic value carried on the second wordline is based on a logic value carried on the first wordline, and the PMOS transistors are structured to pre-charge respective drains of the NMOS pull-down structure to a high logic value based on a low logic value carried on the second wordline. The NMOS pull-down structure may be structured to discharge the bitline based on a high logic value carried on the second wordline.

Abstract: A logic network for an integrated circuit is synthesized as follows. The logic network is mapped to a network of lookup tables (LUTs). The LUT mapping is based at least in part on estimated areas of the LUTs. The individual LUTs in the network are improved (LUT optimization), for example using various Boolean optimization techniques. The network of improved LUTs is then reduced to a gate-level netlist of standard cells.