Abstract: In one embodiment, the invention is a method and apparatus for soft hierarchy-based synthesis for large-scale, high-performance circuits. One embodiment of a method for physically synthesizing a design of an integrated circuit includes compiling a logical description of the design into a flattened netlist, extracting a soft hierarchy from the flattened netlist, wherein the soft hierarchy defines a boundary on a die across which cells of the integrated circuit are permitted to move, and placing a cell of the integrated circuit on the die in accordance with the soft hierarchy.

Abstract: Exemplary embodiments include a computer implemented method for large block and structured synthesis, the method including determining initial design data from starting points for a synthesis flow, receiving user-directed structuring is incorporated into the synthesis flow, applying logical synthesis on the initial design data, applying a physical design on the initial design data, determining whether circuit design parameters have been met and in response to circuit design parameters not being met, adjusting the circuit design parameters.

Abstract: An initial layout of at least a portion of a given layer of an integrated circuit design is decomposed into multiple sub-layouts by splitting each of a plurality of shapes of the initial layout into multiple segments, constructing a constraint graph to represent relationships between the segments, reducing the constraint graph to a stitch graph, determining at least one cut line of the stitch graph, and generating a decomposed layout based on the determined cut line. The decomposed layout in an illustrative embodiment includes first and second sub-layouts comprising respective disjoint subsets of the segments, with each of the sub-layouts of the decomposed layout being associated with a different pattern mask of a double patterning lithography process. The layout decomposition process advantageously minimizes the number of stitches between the sub-layouts without introducing excessive computational complexity.

Abstract: Exemplary embodiments include a computer implemented method for large block and structured synthesis, the method including determining initial design data from starting points for a synthesis flow, receiving user-directed structuring is incorporated into the synthesis flow, applying logical synthesis on the initial design data, applying a physical design on the initial design data, determining whether circuit design parameters have been met and in response to circuit design parameters not being met, adjusting the circuit design parameters.

Abstract: A method for performing global routing on an integrated circuit design is disclosed. The integrated circuit design is initially divided into multiple G-cells. The G-cells are interconnected by a set of nets. The set of nets is then decomposed into corresponding wires. The wires are prerouted to interconnect the G-cells. BoxRouting is performed on the wires until all the wires are routed. Finally, postrouting is performed on the wires.

Abstract: A method for performing global routing on an integrated circuit design is disclosed. The integrated circuit design is initially divided into multiple G-cells. The G-cells are interconnected by a set of nets. The set of nets is then decomposed into corresponding wires. The wires are prerouted to interconnect the G-cells. BoxRouting is performed on the wires until all the wires are routed. Finally, postrouting is performed on the wires.