Patents by Inventor Eric A. Foreman
Eric A. Foreman has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 8769452Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for extracting parasitics in a design of an integrated circuit with multi-patterning requirements. The method includes determining resistance solutions and capacitance solutions. The method further includes performing parasitic extraction of the resistance solutions and the capacitance solutions to generate mean values for the resistance solutions and the capacitance solutions. The method further includes capturing a multi-patterning source of variation for each of the resistance solutions and the capacitance solutions during the parasitic extraction. The method further includes determining a sensitivity for each captured source of variation to a respective vector of parameters. The method further includes determining statistical parasitics by multiplying each of the resistance solutions and the capacitance solutions by the determined sensitivity for each respective captured source of variation.Type: GrantFiled: October 31, 2012Date of Patent: July 1, 2014Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Nathan Buck, Brian Dreibelbis, John P. Dubuque, Eric A. Foreman, Peter A. Habitz, David J. Hathaway, Jeffrey G. Hemmett, Natesan Venkateswaran, Chandramouli Visweswariah, Vladimir Zolotov
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Patent number: 8768679Abstract: A computer-implemented method that simulates NPskew effects on a combination NFET (Negative Field Effect Transistor)/PFET (Positive Field Effect Transistor) semiconductor device using slew perturbations includes performing a timing test by a computing device, by: (1) evaluating perturb slews in Strong N/Weak P directions on the combination semiconductor device for a timing test result; (2) evaluation perturb slews in Weak N/Strong P directions on the combination semiconductor device for a timing test result; and (3) evaluating unperturbed slews in a balanced condition on the combination semiconductor device for a timing test result. After each test is performed, a determination is made as to which evaluation of the perturbed and unperturbed slews produces a most conservative timing test result for the combination semiconductor device. An NPskew effect adjusted timing test result is finally output based on determining the most conservative timing test result.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 2010Date of Patent: July 1, 2014Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Nathan C. Buck, Brian M. Dreibelbis, John P. Dubuque, Eric A. Foreman, Peter A. Habitz, Jeffrey G. Hemmett, Natesan Venkateswaran, Chandramouli Visweswariah, Xiaoyue X. Wang
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Publication number: 20140173543Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for extracting parasitics in a design of an integrated circuit with multi-patterning requirements. The method includes determining resistance solutions and capacitance solutions. The method further includes performing parasitic extraction of the resistance solutions and the capacitance solutions to generate mean values for the resistance solutions and the capacitance solutions. The method further includes capturing a multi-patterning source of variation for each of the resistance solutions and the capacitance solutions during the parasitic extraction. The method further includes determining a sensitivity for each captured source of variation to a respective vector of parameters. The method further includes determining statistical parasitics by multiplying each of the resistance solutions and the capacitance solutions by the determined sensitivity for each respective captured source of variation.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 23, 2013Publication date: June 19, 2014Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: Nathan BUCK, Brian DREIBELBIS, John P. DUBUQUE, Eric A. FOREMAN, Peter A. HABITZ, David J. HATHAWAY, Jeffrey G. HEMMETT, Natesan VENKATESWARAN, Chandramouli VISWESWARIAH, Vladimir ZOLOTOV
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Patent number: 8719763Abstract: Approaches for binning integrated circuits using timing are provided. A method includes performing a statistical timing analysis of a design. The method also includes identifying bin sub-spaces within a process space of the design. The method further includes determining a frequency limit for each said bin sub-space. The method additionally includes closing timing to the frequency limit for each said bin sub-space.Type: GrantFiled: January 4, 2013Date of Patent: May 6, 2014Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Jeanne P. Bickford, Eric A. Foreman, Vladimir Zolotov
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Publication number: 20140123095Abstract: Systems and methods for modeling multi-patterning variability with statistical timing analysis during IC fabrication are described. The method may be provided implemented in a computer infrastructure having computer executable code tangibly embodied on a computer readable storage medium having programming instructions operable to define at least one source of variation in an integrated circuit design. The programming instructions further operable to model the at least one source of variation for at least two patterns in at least one level of the integrated circuit design as at least two sources of variability respectively.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 23, 2013Publication date: May 1, 2014Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: Nathan BUCK, Brian DREIBELBIS, John P. DUBUQUE, Eric A. FOREMAN, Peter A. HABITZ, David J. HATHAWAY, Jeffrey G. HEMMETT, Natesan VENKATESWARAN, Chandramouli VISWESWARIAH, Vladimir ZOLOTOV
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Publication number: 20140123089Abstract: Systems and methods for modeling multi-patterning variability with statistical timing analysis during IC fabrication are described. The method may be provided implemented in a computer infrastructure having computer executable code tangibly embodied on a computer readable storage medium having programming instructions operable to define at least one source of variation in an integrated circuit design. The programming instructions further operable to model the at least one source of variation for at least two patterns in at least one level of the integrated circuit design as at least two sources of variability respectively.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 31, 2012Publication date: May 1, 2014Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: Nathan BUCK, Brian DREIBELBIS, John P. DUBUQUE, Eric A. FOREMAN, Peter A. HABITZ, David J. HATHAWAY, Jeffrey G. HEMMETT, Natesan VENKATESWARAN, Chandramouli VISWESWARIAH, Vladimir ZOLOTOV
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Publication number: 20140123086Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for extracting parasitics in a design of an integrated circuit with multi-patterning requirements. The method includes determining resistance solutions and capacitance solutions. The method further includes performing parasitic extraction of the resistance solutions and the capacitance solutions to generate mean values for the resistance solutions and the capacitance solutions. The method further includes capturing a multi-patterning source of variation for each of the resistance solutions and the capacitance solutions during the parasitic extraction. The method further includes determining a sensitivity for each captured source of variation to a respective vector of parameters. The method further includes determining statistical parasitics by multiplying each of the resistance solutions and the capacitance solutions by the determined sensitivity for each respective captured source of variation.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 31, 2012Publication date: May 1, 2014Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: Nathan BUCK, Brian DREIBELBIS, John P. DUBUQUE, Eric A. FOREMAN, Peter A. HABITZ, David J. HATHAWAY, Jeffrey G. HEMMETT, Natesan VENKATESWARAN, Chandramouli VISWESWARIAH, Vladimir ZOLOTOV
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Publication number: 20140115552Abstract: Systems and methods for accommodating correlated parameters in SSTA are provided. The method includes determining a correlation between at least two parameters. The method further includes calculating a new parameter or a new parameter set based on the correlation between the at least two parameters. The method further includes performing the SSTA such that the new parameter or the new parameter set is propagated into the SSTA. The method further includes projecting slack using the correlation between the at least two parameters and using a processor.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 23, 2013Publication date: April 24, 2014Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: Eric A. FOREMAN, Peter A. HABITZ, David J. HATHAWAY, Jeffrey G. Hemmett, Natesan VENKATESWARAN, Chandramouli VISWESWARIAH, Vladimir ZOLOTOV
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Patent number: 8707233Abstract: Systems and methods for accommodating correlated parameters in SSTA are provided. The method includes determining a correlation between at least two parameters. The method further includes calculating a new parameter or a new parameter set based on the correlation between the at least two parameters. The method further includes performing the SSTA such that the new parameter or the new parameter set is propagated into the SSTA. The method further includes projecting slack using the correlation between the at least two parameters and using a processor.Type: GrantFiled: July 25, 2011Date of Patent: April 22, 2014Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Eric A. Foreman, Peter A. Habitz, David J. Hathaway, Jeffrey G. Hemmett, Natesan Venkateswaran, Chandramouli Visweswariah, Vladimir Zolotov
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Publication number: 20140074422Abstract: A plurality of digital circuits are manufactured from an identical circuit design. A power controller is operatively connected to the digital circuits, and a non-transitory storage medium is operatively connected to the power controller. The digital circuits are classified into different voltage bins, and each of the voltage bins has a current leakage limit. Each of the digital circuits has been previously tested to operate within a corresponding current leakage limit of a corresponding voltage bin into which each of the digital circuits has been classified. The non-transitory storage medium stores boundaries of the voltage bins as speed-binning test data. The power controller controls power-supply signals applied differently for each of the digital circuits based on which bin each of the digital circuit has been classified and the speed-binning test data.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 13, 2012Publication date: March 13, 2014Applicant: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Jeanne P. Bickford, Eric A. Foreman, Peter A. Habitz, Jeffrey G. Hemmett, Clarence R. Ogilvie, Tad J. Wilder, Vladimir Zolotov
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Patent number: 8656207Abstract: A method performs statistical static timing analysis of a network that includes a phase-locked loop and a feedback path. The feedback path comprises a set of delays operatively connected from the output of the phase-locked loop back to the input of the phase-locked loop. One embodiment herein computes a statistical feedback path delay for the feedback path. The method can use a separate statistical parameter to represent random uncorrelated delay variation for each delay in the feedback path. The method also computes an output arrival time for the phase-locked loop based on the negative of the statistical feedback path delay.Type: GrantFiled: December 15, 2009Date of Patent: February 18, 2014Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Nathan C. Buck, Brian M. Dreibelbis, John P. Dubuque, Eric A. Foreman, Peter A. Habitz
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Publication number: 20130326459Abstract: A method of optimizing power and timing for an integrated circuit (IC) chip, identifies a plurality of valid temperature and voltage combinations that allow integrated circuit chips produced according to the integrated circuit chip design to operate within average power consumption goals and timing delay goals. Such a method selects temperature cut points from the valid temperature and voltage combinations for each of the integrated circuit chips, calculates a power consumption amount of each of the temperature cut points, and adjusts the temperature cut points based on the power consumption amount until the temperature cut points achieve the average power consumption goals. Next, this method tests each of the integrated circuit chips, and records the temperature cut points in the memory of the integrated circuit chips.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 25, 2013Publication date: December 5, 2013Applicant: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Jeanne P. Bickford, Eric A. Foreman, Mark W. Kuemerle, Susan K. Lichtensteiger
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Publication number: 20130326460Abstract: A method of optimizing power and timing for an integrated circuit (IC) chip, which uses an IC technology that exhibits temperature inversion, by modifying a voltage supplied to the IC chip, while meeting power consumption and timing delay performances across lower and higher temperature ranges. A high voltage is selected that meets a closed timing analysis across a full temperature range to meet a timing performance and a low voltage is selected to meet the timing performance and the power performance across a lower temperature range to a temperature cut point in the higher temperature range. The IC chip is turned on at the high voltage and the high voltage is lowered to the low voltage when the temperature cut point is exceeded to meet the power performance while maintaining the timing performance.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 28, 2013Publication date: December 5, 2013Inventors: Jeanne P. Bickford, Eric A. Foreman, Mark W. Kuemerle, Susan K. Lichtensteiger
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Patent number: 8560989Abstract: Systems and methods for statistical clock cycle computation and closing timing of an integrated circuit design to a maximum clock cycle or period. The method includes loading a design and timing model for at least one circuit path of an integrated circuit or a region of the integrated circuit into a computing device. The method further includes performing a statistical static timing analysis (SSTA) of the at least one circuit path using the loaded design and timing model to obtain slack canonical data. The method further includes calculating a maximum circuit clock cycle for the integrated circuit or the specified region of the integrated circuit in linear canonical form based upon the slack canonical data obtained from the SSTA.Type: GrantFiled: December 6, 2011Date of Patent: October 15, 2013Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Nathan Buck, Brian Dreibelbis, John P. Dubuque, Eric A. Foreman, James C. Gregerson, Peter A. Habitz, Jeffrey G. Hemmett, Debjit Sinha, Natesan Venkateswaran, Chandramouli Visweswariah, Michael H. Wood, Vladimir Zolotov
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Patent number: 8543960Abstract: A method of optimizing power and timing for an integrated circuit (IC) chip, which uses an IC technology that exhibits temperature inversion, by modifying a voltage supplied to the IC chip, while meeting power consumption and timing delay performances across lower and higher temperature ranges. A high voltage is selected that meets a closed timing analysis across a full temperature range to meet a timing performance and a low voltage is selected to meet the timing performance and the power performance across a lower temperature range to a temperature cut point in the higher temperature range. The IC chip is turned on at the high voltage and the high voltage is lowered to the low voltage when the temperature cut point is exceeded to meet the power performance while maintaining the timing performance.Type: GrantFiled: May 31, 2012Date of Patent: September 24, 2013Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Jeanne P. Bickford, Eric A. Foreman, Mark W. Kuemerle, Susan K. Lichtensteiger
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Patent number: 8468483Abstract: In embodiments of a statistical static timing analysis (SSTA) method, system and program storage device, the interdependence between the setup time and hold time margins of a circuit block (e.g., a latch, flip-flop, etc., which requires the checking of setup and hold timing constraints) is determined, taking into account possible variations in multiple parameters (e.g., using a variation-aware characterizing technique). A parameterized statistical static timing analysis (SSTA) of a circuit incorporating the circuit block is performed in order to determine, in statistical parameterized form, setup and hold times for the circuit block. Based on the interdependence between the setup and hold time margins, setup and hold time constraints can be determined in statistical parameterized form. Finally, the setup and hold times determined during the SSTA can be checked against the setup and hold time constraints to determine, if the time constraints are violated or not and to what degree.Type: GrantFiled: October 24, 2011Date of Patent: June 18, 2013Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Nathan C. Buck, Brian M. Dreibelbis, John P. Dubuque, Eric A. Foreman, Peter A. Habitz, Jeffrey G. Hemmett, Natesan Venkateswaran, Chandramouli Visweswariah, Xiaoyue Wang, Vladimir Zolotov
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Publication number: 20130145333Abstract: Systems and methods for statistical clock cycle computation and closing timing of an integrated circuit design to a maximum clock cycle or period. The method includes loading a design and timing model for at least one circuit path of an integrated circuit or a region of the integrated circuit into a computing device. The method further includes performing a statistical static timing analysis (SSTA) of the at least one circuit path using the loaded design and timing model to obtain slack canonical data. The method further includes calculating a maximum circuit clock cycle for the integrated circuit or the specified region of the integrated circuit in linear canonical form based upon the slack canonical data obtained from the SSTA.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 6, 2011Publication date: June 6, 2013Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: Nathan BUCK, Brian DREIBELBIS, John P. DUBUQUE, Eric A. FOREMAN, James C. GREGERSON, Peter A. HABITZ, Jeffrey G. HEMMETT, Debjit SINHA, Natesan VENKATESWARAN, Chandramouli VISWESWARIAH, Michael H. WOOD, Vladimir ZOLOTOV
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Patent number: 8458632Abstract: Aspects of the present invention provide solutions for projecting slack in an integrated circuit. A statistical static timing analysis (SSTA) is computed to get a set of Gaussian distributions over a plurality of variation sources in the integrated circuit. Based on the Gaussian distributions, a truncated subset and a remainder subset of the Gaussian distributions are identified. Then data factors that represent a ratio between the remainder subset and the truncated subset are obtained. These data factors are applied to the SSTA to root sum square (RSS) project the slack for the integrated circuit that takes into account the absence of the truncated subset.Type: GrantFiled: August 3, 2011Date of Patent: June 4, 2013Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Eric A. Foreman, James C. Gregerson, Peter A. Habitz, Jeffrey G. Hemmett, Debjit Sinha, Natesan Venkateswaran, Chandramouli Visweswariah, Xiaoyue Wang, Vladimer Zolotov
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Patent number: 8448110Abstract: A method receives an initial circuit design. The circuit design includes at least one path having at least one beginning point comprising a source, at least one ending point comprising a sink, and one or more circuit elements between the source and the sink. The method evaluates timing performance parameter sensitivities to manufacturing variations of each of the elements to identify how much each element will increase or decrease the timing performance parameter of the path for each change in each manufacturing variable associated with manufacturing the elements. Further, the method alters the elements within the path until elements that produce positive changes to the timing performance parameter for a given manufacturing variable change approximately equals (in magnitude) elements that produce negative changes to the timing performance parameter for the given manufacturing variable change, to produce an altered circuit design.Type: GrantFiled: November 24, 2009Date of Patent: May 21, 2013Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Peter A. Habitz, Eric A. Foreman, Gustavo E. Tellez
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Publication number: 20130104092Abstract: In embodiments of a statistical static timing analysis (SSTA) method, system and program storage device, the interdependence between the setup time and hold time margins of a circuit block (e.g., a latch, flip-flop, etc., which requires the checking of setup and hold timing constraints) is determined, taking into account possible variations in multiple parameters (e.g., using a variation-aware characterizing technique). A parameterized statistical static timing analysis (SSTA) of a circuit incorporating the circuit block is performed in order to determine, in statistical parameterized form, setup and hold times for the circuit block. Based on the interdependence between the setup and hold time margins, setup and hold time constraints can be determined in statistical parameterized form. Finally, the setup and hold times determined during the SSTA can be checked against the setup and hold time constraints to determine, if the time constraints are violated or not and to what degree.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 24, 2011Publication date: April 25, 2013Applicant: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Nathan C. Buck, Brian M. Dreibelbis, John P. Dubuque, Eric A. Foreman, Peter A. Habitz, Jeffrey G. Hemmett, Natesan Venkateswaran, Chandramouli Visweswariah, Xiaoyue Wang, Vladimir Zolotov