Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for performing drive strength adjust optimization in a circuit design

US5724250A · kind A · utility

42Cited by
10References
45Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 7, 1996
Grant dateMar 3, 1998
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 7, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F30/327
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method and apparatus for efficiently optimizing a circuit design by substituting identified cells within the circuit design with logically equivalent cells having different drive strengths. The present invention eliminates the need to update the design database and to place and route the circuit design during each design iteration. Rather, an improved extraction tool is provided which incorporates a cell substitution list, and updates the RC file therefrom. The updated RC file is used by the timing analysis tool to determine if the updated design will meet the design specification. After the design meets the design specification, a final place and route may be performed.

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