Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that routes a set of pairs of points during the design of an integrated circuit (IC) chip. The system comprises a routing engine which is configured to search for a path to connect a current pair of points in the set of pairs of points, wherein the path comprises a set of rectangles and vertices. The routing engine uses a routing database, which keeps track of previously routed nets that can obstruct the routing of the current pair of points. The system further comprises a satisfiability (SAT) solver which is capable of solving a set of constraints, wherein the set of constraints are associated with the routability of the set of pairs of points. The SAT solver additionally comprises a SAT database which maintains the set of constraints and a current partial solution to the set of constraints. The SAT database is used to update the routing database if the current partial solution changes.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that routes a set of pairs of points during the design of an integrated circuit (IC) chip. The system comprises a routing engine which is configured to search for a path to connect a current pair of points in the set of pairs of points, wherein the path comprises a set of rectangles and vertices. The routing engine uses a routing database, which keeps track of previously routed nets that can obstruct the routing of the current pair of points. The system further comprises a satisfiability (SAT) solver which is capable of solving a set of constraints, wherein the set of constraints are associated with the routability of the set of pairs of points. The SAT solver additionally comprises a SAT database which maintains the set of constraints and a current partial solution to the set of constraints. The SAT database is used to update the routing database if the current partial solution changes.

Abstract: A method and system for combinational verification tightly integrates multiple verification methods. The present invention performs random simulation on the inputs of two combinational netlists. The nets within the netlists are described as BDDs and divided into classes of cutpoint candidates based upon the signatures produced by the random simulation. Cutpoint candidates within each class are resolved to determine whether the candidates are equivalent. If the nets are likely to be equivalent, BDD composition is performed on the nets. Otherwise, SAT-based analysis is performed on the nets. If either method fails to resolve the cutpoints within an allocated amount of time or resources, then the other method is invoked and information learned by the first method is passed to the second method to assist in the resolution. This process repeats until the cutpoint candidates are resolved.

Abstract: A method and system of latch mapping for performing combinational equivalence checking on a specification and an implementation of a circuit that does not depend on signal names or circuit structure to determine the latch mapping. First, every latch is mapped to every other latch. Then, the resulting mapping is refined until it is semi-inductive. The refinement is performed by randomly producing a state that satisfies the mapping and applying a random input vector to the circuits. The resulting mappings are iteratively compared and new input vectors are applied to the circuits until the greatest fixed point of the refinement is found. Then, it is determined whether the greatest fixed point of refinement forces output equality. If the greatest fixed point does not force output equality, then a bug in a combinational block of the implementation is localized through an interactive procedure. If the greatest fixed point does force output equality, then it is determined whether it also satisfies a reset condition.