Abstract: A method for simulating large circuits in full-scale. To enhance the simulation efficiency, subcircuits are extracted from a circuit and thence a hierarchical structure is established using the extracted subcircuits. Subsequently, the circuit is partitioned and a current-voltage table for each subcircuit is dynamically generated. A transient analysis of the circuit is preformed at each incremental time step and a recursive latency check is preformed from the top to the bottom level of the hierarchical structure to determine the active part of the circuit. Using the current-voltage curves, a portion of the conductance matrix corresponding to the active part is rebuild at each incremental time step, which significantly reduces the simulation time.

Abstract: An automatic memory characterization system for determining timing characteristics associated with each of a plurality of circuit instances of a memory compiler circuit design includes: an automatic circuit reduction tool for receiving a circuit netlist extracted from layout data defining a circuit instance of the memory compiler, and for generating a critical path netlist; a memory storage unit for storing a timing parameter database including a script file having memory characterization instructions, and at least one specification file associated with one of the timing characteristics to be characterized for the circuit instance, the specification file having a plurality of input signal parameters defining a plurality of input signals to be applied to selected input nodes of the circuit instance, and a plurality of output loading parameters defining a plurality of output loads to be applied to selected output nodes of the circuit instance; a stimulus generator responsive to the input signal parameters and o