Electromigration evaluation methodology with consideration of thermal and signal effects

A computer-implemented method for evaluating a heat sensitive structure of in an integrated circuit design comprising:

• identifying a heat sensitive structure;
• calculating a nominal temperature Tnom of the heat sensitive structure;
• identifying a first heat dissipating structure within a first thermal coupling range of the heat sensitive structure;
• calculating an operating temperature Topc1 of the first heat dissipating structure;
• calculating a ΔTc1 for the heat sensitive structure induced by thermal coupling with the Topc1 of the first heat dissipating structure;
• conducting an electromigration (EM) performance evaluation of the heat sensitive structure at an evaluation temperature TE=Tnom+ΔTc1;
• verifying that the EM analysis of the heat sensitive structure meets a design specification;
• and
• generating a tape out corresponding to the integrated circuit design layout for manufacturing a semiconductor device.

A computer-implemented method for evaluating a heat sensitive structure comprising:

• identifying a heat sensitive structure in an integrated circuit design layout, the heat sensitive structure having a nominal temperature Tnom;
• identifying a first signal carrying structure within a thermal coupling range of the heat sensitive structure;
• calculating an operating temperature Toph1 of the first signal carrying structure as a function of an electrical signal current applied to the first signal carrying structure over a time period t;
• calculating a temperature increase ΔTh1 for the heat sensitive structure induced by thermal coupling to the first signal carrying at the operating temperature Toph1;
• identifying a first heat dissipating structure within the thermal coupling range;
• calculating an operating temperature Topc1 of the first heat dissipating structure;
• calculating a ΔTc1 for the heat sensitive structure induced by thermal coupling with the Topc1 of the heat dissipating structure;
• conducting an electromigration (EM) performance evaluation of the heat sensitive structure at an evaluation temperature TE=Tnom+ΔTh1+ΔTc1;
• verifying that the EM analysis of the heat sensitive structure meets a design specification;
• and
• generating a tape out corresponding to the integrated circuit design layout for manufacturing a semiconductor device.