Patent · US Active

Design-specific on chip variation de-rating factors for static timing analysis of integrated circuits

US8336010B1 · kind B1 · utility

194Cited by
2References
20Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 27, 2010
Grant dateDec 18, 2012
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 24, 2030

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F2119/12
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

In one embodiment of the invention, a method of analysis of a circuit design with respect to within-die process variation is disclosed to generate a design-specific on chip variation (DS-OCV) de-rating factor. The method includes executing a static timing analysis (STA) in an on-chip variation mode using a process corner library. Collecting timing information of the top N critical timing paths. Executing a statistical static timing analysis (SSTA) on the N critical timing paths using timing models characterized for SSTA with sensitivities of delays to process variables. Compare the two timing results and deriving DS-OCV de-rating factors for the clock/data paths to be used in a STA OCV timing analysis to correctly account for the effects of process variations. A user may select to specify DS-OCV de-rating factors for paths or groups of paths and achieve an accurate timing analysis report in a reduced amount of run-time.

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