Patent · US Expired

Integrated circuit cell placement using optimization-driven clustering

US5566078A · kind A · utility

77Cited by
19References
10Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 26, 1993
Grant dateOct 15, 1996
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 26, 2013

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F30/392
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An integrated circuit layout technique is described which employs an optimization-driven clustering technique to provide improved cell placement. The technique utilizes clustering of cells based upon Rent's rule, with global-optimization-derived inter-cell distances being used to break ties when identical Rent exponents are encountered. A constraint on the number of cells permitted to be in a cluster and a constraint on the maximum Rent exponent which to be considered for merging clusters minimize the "overgrowth" of clusters and serve to even out cluster size, ideally suiting the technique to conventional partitioning and placement schemes.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.