Patents by Inventor William Halpin

William Halpin 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: 10268797
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses to design an integrated circuit are discussed. In one embodiment, the method of designing an integrated circuit comprises partitioning a chip resource into a plurality of sections, and calculating the rank of the sections based on a quality metric. The method further comprises removing the sections with the lowest ranks from consideration by a placement transform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: Synopsys, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth S. McElvain, Benoit Lemonnier, William Halpin
  • Patent number: 8966415
    Abstract: The present invention discloses methods and apparatuses to design an integrated circuit. According to one aspect, a method of designing an integrated circuit comprises determining a state of a design of the integrated circuit at a high level design representation of the integrated circuit, wherein the state of the design of the integrated circuit comprises a netlist with at least one of timing data, resource information, placement information, routing information, and power data. The method further comprises determining a first transform for the state, changing the state of the design at the high level design representation of the integrated circuit using the first transform, and determining a second transform based on the changed state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Synopsys, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth S. McElvain, Benoit Lemonnier, William Halpin
  • Patent number: 8819608
    Abstract: The present invention discloses methods and apparatuses to design an integrated circuit. According to one aspect, the present invention circuit design discloses an iterative process of synthesis and placement where each iteration provides incremental changes on the design of the integrated circuit. The synthesis transform is then made with accurate timing information from the placement, and the process is incrementally iterative toward the final timing enclosure of the design. The incrementally iterative approach of the present invention provides a continuous advancement from synthesis to placement and vice versa, with the incremental improvements on synthesis made with knowledge of current instance placement, and the incremental improvements on placement made with knowledge of current circuit logic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Synopsys, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth S. McElvain, Benoit Lemonnier, William Halpin
  • Patent number: 8701068
    Abstract: An integrated circuit (IC) comprising a shielding mesh in at least one layer of the IC, the shielding mesh having a first plurality of lines which are designed to provide a first reference voltage and having a second plurality of lines which are designed to provide a second reference voltage and wherein the shielding mesh comprises a window in which signal lines are routed with less shielding than signal lines which are routed in the shielding mesh. The IC further comprising power supply lines in at least a first layer of the IC, the first layer being different than the at least one layer which contains the shielding mesh, the power supply lines being coupled to the shielding mesh and being larger in width than the first plurality of lines and the second plurality of lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignee: Synopsys, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth S. McElvain, William Halpin
  • Publication number: 20140082579
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses to design an integrated circuit are discussed. In one embodiment, the method of designing an integrated circuit comprises partitioning a chip resource into a plurality of sections, and calculating the rank of the sections based on a quality metric. The method further comprises removing the sections with the lowest ranks from consideration by a placement transform.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2013
    Publication date: March 20, 2014
    Applicant: Synopsys, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth S. McElvain, Benoit Lemonnier, William Halpin
  • Publication number: 20140053120
    Abstract: The present invention discloses methods and apparatuses to design an integrated circuit. According to one aspect, a method of designing an integrated circuit comprises determining a state of a design of the integrated circuit at a high level design representation of the integrated circuit, wherein the state of the design of the integrated circuit comprises a netlist with at least one of timing data, resource information, placement information, routing information, and power data. The method further comprises determining a first transform for the state, changing the state of the design at the high level design representation of the integrated circuit using the first transform, and determining a second transform based on the changed state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 25, 2013
    Publication date: February 20, 2014
    Applicant: Synopsys, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth S. McElvain, Benoit Lemonnier, William Halpin
  • Patent number: 8595674
    Abstract: The present invention discloses methods and apparatuses to design an integrated circuit. According to one aspect, the present invention circuit design discloses an iterative process of synthesis and placement where each iteration provides incremental changes on the design of the integrated circuit. The incrementally iterative approach of the present invention provides a continuous advancement from synthesis to placement and vice versa, with the incremental improvements on synthesis made with knowledge of current instance placement, and the incremental improvements on placement made with knowledge of current circuit logic. According to another aspect, the present invention circuit design discloses incremental force directed placement transforms utilizing resource layers to address the heterogeneous resource distribution problem, where the force on an instance can be a weighted average of the forces from its resource layers based on the local congestion of those resources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: Synopsys, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth S. McElvain, Benoit Lemonnier, William Halpin
  • Patent number: 8589850
    Abstract: The present invention discloses methods and apparatuses to design an integrated circuit. According to one aspect, the present invention circuit design discloses an iterative process of synthesis and placement where each iteration provides incremental changes on the design of the integrated circuit. The synthesis transform is then made with accurate timing information from the placement, and the process is incrementally iterative toward the final timing enclosure of the design. The incrementally iterative approach of the present invention provides a continuous advancement from synthesis to placement and vice versa, with the incremental improvements on synthesis made with knowledge of current instance placement, and the incremental improvements on placement made with knowledge of current circuit logic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: Synopsys, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth S. McElvain, Benoit Lemonnier, William Halpin
  • Publication number: 20130162346
    Abstract: An integrated circuit (IC) comprising a shielding mesh in at least one layer of the IC, the shielding mesh having a first plurality of lines which are designed to provide a first reference voltage and having a second plurality of lines which are designed to provide a second reference voltage and wherein the shielding mesh comprises a window in which signal lines are routed with less shielding than signal lines which are routed in the shielding mesh. The IC further comprising power supply lines in at least a first layer of the IC, the first layer being different than the at least one layer which contains the shielding mesh, the power supply lines being coupled to the shielding mesh and being larger in width than the first plurality of lines and the second plurality of lines.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2013
    Publication date: June 27, 2013
    Inventors: Kenneth S. McElvain, William Halpin
  • Patent number: 8386979
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses to design an Integrated Circuit (IC) with a shielding of wires. In at least one embodiment, a shielding mesh of at least two reference voltages (e.g., power and ground) is used to reduce both the capacitive coupling and the inductive coupling in routed signal wires in IC chips. In some embodiments, a type of shielding mesh (e.g., a shielding mesh with a window surrounded by a power ring, or a window with a parser set of shielding wires) is selected to make more routing area available in locally congested areas. In other embodiments, the shielding mesh is used to create or add bypass capacitance. Other embodiments are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Synopsys, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth S. McElvain, William Halpin
  • Patent number: 8171441
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses to design an Integrated Circuit (IC) with a shielding of wires. In at least one embodiment, a shielding mesh of at least two reference voltages (e.g., power and ground) is used to reduce both the capacitive coupling and the inductive coupling in routed signal wires in IC chips. In some embodiments, a type of shielding mesh (e.g., a shielding mesh with a window surrounded by a power ring, or a window with a parser set of shielding wires) is selected to make more routing area available in locally congested areas. In other embodiments, the shielding mesh is used to create or add bypass capacitance. Other embodiments are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Synopsys, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth S. McElvain, William Halpin
  • Patent number: 8166434
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses to design an Integrated Circuit (IC) with a shielding of wires. In at least one embodiment, a shielding mesh of at least two reference voltages (e.g., power and ground) is used to reduce both the capacitive coupling and the inductive coupling in routed signal wires in IC chips. In some embodiments, a type of shielding mesh (e.g., a shielding mesh with a window surrounded by a power ring, or a window with a parser set of shielding wires) is selected to make more routing area available in locally congested areas. In other embodiments, the shielding mesh is used to create or add bypass capacitance. Other embodiments are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Synopsys, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth S. McElvain, William Halpin
  • Patent number: 8161442
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses to design an Integrated Circuit (IC) with a shielding of wires. In at least one embodiment, a shielding mesh of at least two reference voltages (e.g., power and ground) is used to reduce both the capacitive coupling and the inductive coupling in routed signal wires in IC chips. In some embodiments, a type of shielding mesh (e.g., a shielding mesh with a window surrounded by a power ring, or a window with a parser set of shielding wires) is selected to make more routing area available in locally congested areas. In other embodiments, the shielding mesh is used to create or add bypass capacitance. Other embodiments are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Synopsys, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth S. McElvain, William Halpin
  • Patent number: 8122412
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses to design an Integrated Circuit (IC) with a shielding of wires. In at least one embodiment, a shielding mesh of at least two reference voltages (e.g., power and ground) is used to reduce both the capacitive coupling and the inductive coupling in routed signal wires in IC chips. In some embodiments, a type of shielding mesh (e.g., a shielding mesh with a window surrounded by a power ring, or a window with a parser set of shielding wires) is selected to make more routing area available in locally congested areas. In other embodiments, the shielding mesh is used to create or add bypass capacitance. Other embodiments are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: Synopsys, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth S. McElvain, William Halpin
  • Patent number: 8074197
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses to design an Integrated Circuit (IC) with a shielding of wires. In at least one embodiment, a shielding mesh of at least two reference voltages (e.g., power and ground) is used to reduce both the capacitive coupling and the inductive coupling in routed signal wires in IC chips. In some embodiments, a type of shielding mesh (e.g., a shielding mesh with a window surrounded by a power ring, or a window with a parser set of shielding wires) is selected to make more routing area available in locally congested areas. In other embodiments, the shielding mesh is used to create or add bypass capacitance. Other embodiments are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: Synopsys, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth S. McElvain, William Halpin
  • Patent number: 7739624
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses to design an Integrated Circuit (IC) with a shielding of wires. In at least one embodiment, a shielding mesh of at least two reference voltages (e.g., power and ground) is used to reduce both the capacitive coupling and the inductive coupling in routed signal wires in IC chips. In some embodiments, a type of shielding mesh (e.g., a shielding mesh with a window surrounded by a power ring, or a window with a parser set of shielding wires) is selected to make more routing area available in locally congested areas. In other embodiments, the shielding mesh is used to create or add bypass capacitance. Other embodiments are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: Synopsys, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth S. McElvain, William Halpin
  • Publication number: 20090193379
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses to design an Integrated Circuit (IC) with a shielding of wires. In at least one embodiment, a shielding mesh of at least two reference voltages (e.g., power and ground) is used to reduce both the capacitive coupling and the inductive coupling in routed signal wires in IC chips. In some embodiments, a type of shielding mesh (e.g., a shielding mesh with a window surrounded by a power ring, or a window with a parser set of shielding wires) is selected to make more routing area available in locally congested areas. In other embodiments, the shielding mesh is used to create or add bypass capacitance. Other embodiments are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2009
    Publication date: July 30, 2009
    Inventors: Kenneth S. McElvain, William Halpin
  • Publication number: 20090193380
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses to design an Integrated Circuit (IC) with a shielding of wires. In at least one embodiment, a shielding mesh of at least two reference voltages (e.g., power and ground) is used to reduce both the capacitive coupling and the inductive coupling in routed signal wires in IC chips. In some embodiments, a type of shielding mesh (e.g., a shielding mesh with a window surrounded by a power ring, or a window with a parser set of shielding wires) is selected to make more routing area available in locally congested areas. In other embodiments, the shielding mesh is used to create or add bypass capacitance. Other embodiments are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2009
    Publication date: July 30, 2009
    Inventors: Kenneth S. McElvain, William Halpin
  • Publication number: 20090193368
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses to design an Integrated Circuit (IC) with a shielding of wires. In at least one embodiment, a shielding mesh of at least two reference voltages (e.g., power and ground) is used to reduce both the capacitive coupling and the inductive coupling in routed signal wires in IC chips. In some embodiments, a type of shielding mesh (e.g., a shielding mesh with a window surrounded by a power ring, or a window with a parser set of shielding wires) is selected to make more routing area available in locally congested areas. In other embodiments, the shielding mesh is used to create or add bypass capacitance. Other embodiments are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2009
    Publication date: July 30, 2009
    Inventors: Kenneth S. McElvain, William Halpin
  • Publication number: 20090189244
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses to design an Integrated Circuit (IC) with a shielding of wires. In at least one embodiment, a shielding mesh of at least two reference voltages (e.g., power and ground) is used to reduce both the capacitive coupling and the inductive coupling in routed signal wires in IC chips. In some embodiments, a type of shielding mesh (e.g., a shielding mesh with a window surrounded by a power ring, or a window with a parser set of shielding wires) is selected to make more routing area available in locally congested areas. In other embodiments, the shielding mesh is used to create or add bypass capacitance. Other embodiments are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2009
    Publication date: July 30, 2009
    Inventors: Kenneth S. McElvain, William Halpin