Patents by Inventor Steven G. Walker

Steven G. Walker 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: 8290760
    Abstract: A solution for analyzing a circuit using initial charge information is provided. In particular, one or more nodes in a design for the circuit is initialized with an initial charge. The charge can comprise a non-equilibrium charge, thereby simulating the history effect, the impact of a charged particle, electro-static discharge (ESD), and/or the like. Operation of the circuit is then simulated over a set of input cycles based on the initial charge(s). To this extent, the non-equilibrium initial condition solution enables the state of the circuit to be controlled and solves the initial system based on these values. This capability is very useful to condition the circuit at a worst-case, best-case, and/or the like, status. Further, in one embodiment of the invention, a set of equations are provided to implement the non-equilibrium initial charge analysis, which provide a more efficient initialization of the circuit than current solutions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Emrah Acar, Bhavna Agrawal, Peter Feldmann, Ying Liu, Steven G. Walker
  • Publication number: 20090192776
    Abstract: A solution for analyzing a circuit using initial charge information is provided. In particular, one or more nodes in a design for the circuit is initialized with an initial charge. The charge can comprise a non-equilibrium charge, thereby simulating the history effect, the impact of a charged particle, electro-static discharge (ESD), and/or the like. Operation of the circuit is then simulated over a set of input cycles based on the initial charge(s). To this extent, the non-equilibrium initial condition solution enables the state of the circuit to be controlled and solves the initial system based on these values. This capability is very useful to condition the circuit at a worst-case, best-case, and/or the like, status. Further, in one embodiment of the invention, a set of equations are provided to implement the non-equilibrium initial charge analysis, which provide a more efficient initialization of the circuit than current solutions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2008
    Publication date: July 30, 2009
    Inventors: Emrah Acar, Bhavna Agrawal, Peter Feldmann, Ying Liu, Steven G. Walker
  • Patent number: 7519526
    Abstract: A solution for analyzing a circuit using initial charge information is provided. In particular, one or more nodes in a design for the circuit is initialized with an initial charge. The charge can comprise a non-equilibrium charge, thereby simulating the history effect, the impact of a charged particle, electro-static discharge (ESD), and/or the like. Operation of the circuit is then simulated over the set of input cycles based on the initial charge(s). To this extent, the non-equilibrium initial condition solution enables the state of the circuit to be controlled and solves the initial system based on these values. This capability is very useful to condition the circuit at a worst-case, best-case, and/or the like, status. Further, in one embodiment of the invention, a set of equations are provided to implement the non-equilibrium initial charge analysis, which provide a more efficient initialization of the circuit than current solutions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Emrah Acar, Bhavna Agrawal, Peter Feldmann, Ying Liu, Steven G. Walker
  • Patent number: 7117455
    Abstract: The present invention is a system and method for optimizing electrical circuits by means of derivative-free optimization. Tunable parameters such as component values, transistor sizes or model parameters are automatically adjusted to obtain an optimal circuit. Any method of measuring the performance of the circuit, including computer simulation, can be incorporated into the optimization technique, with no derivative requirements. An arbitrary continuous optimization problem can be posed, including an objective function, equality and inequality constraints, and simple bounds on the tunable parameters. The optimization technique is efficient and guarantees that it will find a locally optimal solution from any starting point. Further, the procedure includes a method of automatically recovering from electrical failure to enable automatic and productive circuit optimization. A set of measurement widgets is provided to automatically introduce the checking required to recover from electrical failure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Steven G. Walker, Chandramouli Visweswariah, Katya Scheinberg, Phillip Restle