Abstract: In one embodiment of the invention, an integrated circuit (IC) design tool is provided for synthesizing logic, including one or more software modules to synthesize a gate-level netlist of a squarer functional block. The software modules include a bitvector generator, a bitvector reducer, and a hybrid multibit adder generator. The bitvector generator multiplies bits of a vector together to generate partial products for a plurality of bitvectors and then optimizes a plurality of least significant bitvectors. The bitvector reducer reduces the partial products in the bitvectors of the squarer functional block down to a pair of final vectors. The hybrid multibit adder generator generates a hybrid multibit adder including a first adder and a second adder coupled together by a carry bit with bit widths being responsive to a dividerbit. The hybrid multibit adder adds the pair of final vectors together to generate a final result for the squarer functional block.

Abstract: In one embodiment of the invention, a method of logic synthesis is disclosed. The method includes generating a plurality of design architecture alternatives for circuit logic of a data path cluster; saving the plurality of design architecture alternatives; and evaluating the plurality of design architecture alternatives in response to design constraints to select a preferred design architecture.

Abstract: In one embodiment of the invention, an integrated circuit (IC) design tool is provided that has a sum-of-products (SOP) synthesizer. The SOP synthesizer receives expected arrival times of signals including partial product terms of each bit-vector of a SOP functional block, a comparison gate delay, and a register-transfer-level (RTL) netlist in order to synthesize a gate-level netlist of the SOP functional block. The SOP synthesizer includes software modules to synthesize a partial products generator, a partial product reduction tree, and an adder. The synthesis of the partial product reduction tree is responsive to a comparison gate delay and the expected arrival times of the partial product terms in each bit vector.

Abstract: A programmed computer searches for functional defects in a description of a circuit undergoing functional verification in the following manner. The programmed computer simulates the functional behavior of the circuit in response to a test vector, automatically restores the state of the simulation without causing the simulation to pass through a reset state, and then simulates the functional behavior of the circuit in response to another test vector. A predetermined rule can be used to identify test vectors to be simulated, and the predetermined rule can depend upon a measure of functional verification, including the number of times during simulation when a first state transition is performed by a first-controller at the same time as a second state transition is performed by a second controller. During simulation of the test vectors, manually generated tests or automatically generated checkers can monitor portions of the circuit for defective behavior.

Abstract: A programmed computer generates descriptions of circuits (called “checkers”) that flag functional defects in a description of a circuit undergoing functional verification. The programmed computer automatically converts the circuit's description into a graph, automatically examines the graph for instances of a predetermined arrangement of nodes and connections, and automatically generates instructions that flag a behavior of a device represented by the instance in conformance with a known defective behavior. The checkers can be used during simulation or emulation of the circuit, or during operation of the circuit in a semiconductor die. The circuit's description can be in Verilog or VHDL and the automatically generated checkers can also be described in Verilog or VHDL. Therefore, the checkers can co-simulate with the circuit, monitoring the simulated operation of the circuit and flagging defective behavior.

Abstract: A programmed computer searches for functional defects in a description of a circuit undergoing functional verification in the following manner. The programmed computer simulates the functional behavior of the circuit in response to a test vector, automatically restores the state of the simulation without causing the simulation to pass through a reset state, and then simulates the functional behavior of the circuit in response to another test vector. A predetermined rule can be used to identify test vectors to be simulated, and the predetermined rule can depend upon a measure of functional verification, including the number of times during simulation when a first state transition is performed by a first-controller at the same time as a second state transition is performed by a second controller. During simulation of the test vectors, manually generated tests or automatically generated checkers can monitor portions of the circuit for defective behavior.

Abstract: A programmed computer searches for functional defects in a description of a circuit undergoing functional verification in the following manner. The programmed computer simulates the functional behavior of the circuit in response to a test vector, automatically restores the state of the simulation without causing the simulation to pass through a reset state, and then simulates the functional behavior of the circuit in response to another test vector. A predetermined rule can be used to identify test vectors to be simulated, and the predetermined rule can depend upon a measure of functional verification, including the number of times during simulation when a first state transition is performed by a first controller at the same time as a second state transition is performed by a second controller. During simulation of the test vectors, manually generated tests or automatically generated checkers can monitor portions of the circuit for defective behavior.

Abstract: A programmed computer generates descriptions of circuits (called “checkers”) that flag functional defects in a description of a circuit undergoing functional verification. The programmed computer automatically converts the circuit's description into a graph, automatically examines the graph for instances of a predetermined arrangement of nodes and connections, and automatically generates instructions that flag a behavior of a device represented by the instance in conformance with a known defective behavior. The checkers can be used during simulation or emulation of the circuit, or during operation of the circuit in a semiconductor die. The circuit's description can be in Verilog or VHDL and the automatically generated checkers can also be described in Verilog or VHDL. Therefore, the checkers can co-simulate with the circuit, monitoring the simulated operation of the circuit and flagging defective behavior.

Abstract: A programmed computer generates descriptions of circuits (called “checkers”) that flag functional defects in a description of a circuit undergoing functional verification. The programmed computer automatically converts the circuit's description into a graph, automatically examines the graph for instances of a predetermined arrangement of nodes and connections, and automatically generates instructions that flag a behavior of a device represented by the instance in conformance with a known defective behavior. The checkers can be used during simulation or emulation of the circuit, or during operation of the circuit in a semiconductor die The circuit's description can be in Verilog or VHDL and the automatically generated checkers can also be described in Verilog or VHDL. Therefore, the checkers can co-simulate with the circuit, monitoring the simulated operation of the circuit and flagging detective behavior.

Abstract: A programmed computer searches for functional defects in a description of a circuit undergoing functional verification in the following manner. The programmed computer simulates the functional behavior of the circuit in response to a test vector, automatically restores the state of the simulation without causing the simulation to pass through a reset state, and then simulates the functional behavior of the circuit in response to another test vector. A predetermined rule can be used to identify test vectors to be simulated, and the predetermined rule can depend upon a measure of functional verification, including the number of times during simulation when a first state transition is performed by a first controller at the same time as a second state transition is performed by a second controller. During simulation of the test vectors, manually generated tests or automatically generated checkers can monitor portions of the circuit for defective behavior.

Abstract: A programmed computer generates descriptions of circuits (called “checkers”) that flag functional defects in a description of a circuit undergoing functional verification. The programmed computer automatically converts the circuit's description into a graph, automatically examines the graph for instances of a predetermined arrangement of nodes and connections, and automatically generates instructions that flag a behavior of a device represented by the instance in conformance with a known defective behavior. The checkers can be used during simulation or emulation of the circuit, or during operation of the circuit in a semiconductor die. The circuit's description can be in Verilog or VHDL and the automatically generated checkers can also be described in Verilog or VHDL. Therefore, the checkers can co-simulate with the circuit, monitoring the simulated operation of the circuit and flagging defective behavior.

Abstract: A method and a system implement a circuit design in an integrated chip. A floorplan of the circuit design is arranged at a high level of abstraction. The design is synthesized based on the floorplan, and the synthesized design is laid out physically on the integrated circuit.

Abstract: The method implements implicit sequential behavior using a general finite state machine architecture (FSM) through the systematic evaluation of control flow graphs (CFGs) having one or more weight statements which are sensitive to the same unique clock edge. Each of the weight statements contained in the CFG are assigned a state in the state machine. All of the executable paths between each weight statement are fully evaluated on a node-by-node basis. From this evaluation process, expressions are extracted which define combinational logic necessary to produce additional inputs to the FSM to produce the next state, as well as expressions representing outputs of the FSM as associated with each transition from one state to another. The method also deals with proper evaluation of unrollable loops.

Abstract: A method for fabricating an integrated circuit includes the steps of: (a) describing the functionality of an integrated circuit in terms of a behavioral hardware description language, where the hardware description language describes behavior which can be extracted as a state machine; (b) extracting a register level state machine transition table of the state machine from the hardware description language; (c) generating a logic level state transition table representing the state machine from the register level state machine description; (d) creating a state machine structural netlist representing the state machine from the logic level state transition table; and (e) combining the state machine structural netlist with an independently synthesized structural netlist to create an integrated circuit structural netlist including the state machine to provide a basis for chip compilation, mask layout and integrated circuit fabrication.