Patent · US Expired

In-place repeater insertion methodology for over-the-block routed integrated circuits

US6477690B1 · kind B1 · utility

6Cited by
8References
5Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 18, 2000
Grant dateNov 5, 2002
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 18, 2020

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F30/394
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method and system for performing in-place insertion of interconnect repeaters in an integrated circuit is presented. The integrated circuit comprises a silicon layer and at least one interconnect layer layered over said silicon layer. Metal tracks are reserved on each of the interconnect layers in predefined repeater areas. The interconnects are then routed to pass over the pre-defined repeater areas. For each interconnect, a set of optimal constrained repeater locations are calculated, as defined by the optimal number and locations of repeaters along the interconnect route and as constrained by a set of legal repeater locations associated with the interconnect and which will result in acceptable timing criteria. For each calculated optimal constrained repeater location, a repeater is stitched in-place through the reserved metal tracks of the intervening layers.

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