Patent · US Active

Methods and apparatuses for designing integrated circuits using virtual cells

US7840923B2 · kind B2 · utility

2Cited by
1References
14Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 26, 2007
Grant dateNov 23, 2010
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 4, 2028

Classification

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

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for analyzing and/or designing integrated circuits using virtual transparent cells disclosed. Some embodiments comprise calculating model values for virtual transparent cells or elements of an integrated circuit design varying a transparency variable in modeling equations, and allowing replacement of the cell with a wire based upon the calculations. Varying the value of the transparency value for the calculations may allow the virtual transparent cells to be continuously modeled between a wire and a conventional version of the cell. Some embodiments may comprise a cell library with one or more modeling formulas for one or more virtual transparent cells and a response module to calculate different model values of the modeling formulas.

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