Patent · US Active

Method of IC design optimization via creation of design-specific cells from post-layout patterns

US7941776B2 · kind B2 · utility

123Cited by
5References
12Claims
0Family size

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Key dates

Filing dateMay 25, 2007
Grant dateMay 10, 2011
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 16, 2028

Classification

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

Abstract

A closed-loop IC design optimization process by automatically or manually creating design-specific cells with desired characteristics (e.g., performance, area, power, noise, etc.), which will be then implemented as a standard cell (also known hereafter as metacell), from a set of post-layout patterns. A post-layout pattern represents a part or whole of a standard cell and contains information regarding the pattern including, but not limited to, layout, timing, area, power and noise. As the metacells are created from post-layout patterns, the inaccuracies of prior dynamic library techniques are easily avoided. Such metacells, being design-specific, are optimized to satisfy the constraints imposed by the design context, thus bringing the powerful design-specific customization to standard cell-based design methodology.

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