Patents by Inventor Nicola Dragone

Nicola Dragone 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).

  • Patent number: 7487474
    Abstract: An integrated circuit is designed to improve yield when manufacturing the integrated circuit, by obtaining a design element from a set of design elements used in designing integrated circuits. A variant design element is created based on the obtained design element, where a feature of the obtained design element is modified to create the variant design element. A yield to area ratio for the variant design element is determined. If the yield to area ratio of the variant design element is greater than a yield to area ratio of the obtained design element, the variant design element is retained to be used in designing the integrated circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2009
    Assignee: PDF Solutions, Inc.
    Inventors: Dennis Ciplickas, Joe Davis, Christopher Hess, Sherry Lee, Enrico Malavasi, Abdulmobeen Mohammad, Ratibor Radojcic, Brian Stine, Rakesh Vallishayee, Stefano Zanella, Nicola Dragone, Carlo Guardiani, Michel Quarantelli, Stefano Tonello, Joshi Aniruddha
  • Publication number: 20060253810
    Abstract: Library design elements (102) are analyzed for manufacturability to be used in designing an IC chip to be manufactured using a particular manufacturing process. The library design elements from a library are obtained. Manufacturability attributes (104) of the library design elements are determined for the particular manufacturing process, where manufacturability attributes include yield-related attributes. Library views (106) with manufacturability attributes for the library design elements are then generated, which are utilizing by an electronic design automation (EDA) tool.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2003
    Publication date: November 9, 2006
    Inventors: Carlo Guardiani, Nicola Dragone, John Kibarian, Enrico Malavasi, Rijko Radocic, Andrzej Strojwas
  • Publication number: 20060101355
    Abstract: An integrated circuit is designed to improve yield when manufacturing the integrated circuit, by obtaining a design element from a set of design elements used in designing integrated circuits. A variant design element is created based on the obtained design element, where a feature of the obtained design element is modified to create the variant design element. A yield to area ratio for the variant design element is determined.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 17, 2003
    Publication date: May 11, 2006
    Applicant: PDF Solutions, Inc.
    Inventors: Dennis Ciplickas, Joe Davis, Christopher Hess, Sherry Lee, Enrico Malavasi, Abdulmobeen Mohammad, Ratibor Radojcic, Brian Stine, Rakesh Vallishayee, Stefano Zanella, Nicola Dragone, Carlo Guardiani, Michel Quarantelli, Stefano Tonello, Joshi Aniruddha
  • Patent number: 6225858
    Abstract: A method of reducing power consumption of an electric circuit having a primary supply voltage and first and second circuit blocks is discussed. The method includes determining for the first circuit block an operation time for a first critical path of the first circuit block and determining for the second circuit block an operation time of a second critical path of the second circuit block. From those operation times, the method determines that the operation time of the first critical path is faster than the operation time of the second critical path. The method then creates a first supply voltage for the first circuit block that is less than the primary supply voltage in response to determining that the operation time of the first critical path is faster than the operation time of the second critical path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics, S.r.l.
    Inventors: Carlo Guardiani, Roberta Burger Riccio, Roberto Zafalon, Andrea Veggetti, Nicola Dragone