Method and system for creating a netlist allowing current measurement through a sub-circuit
AssigneeMicron Technology, Inc.
InventorLarren Gene Weber
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and method for manipulating a netlist, at the time that the netlist is being created, to permit measurement of current flow through a net, or combination of nets, of a sub-circuit during a subsequent simulation process, the manipulation of the netlist including identifying nets through which current flow is to be measured, creating “artificial” nets for the identified nets, substituting the “artificial” nets for the identified nets in the netlist file, and connecting a power supply between the artificial net and the identified net for which it has been substituted.
Claims22
A method for manipulating a netlist file at the time the netlist file is being created from a data file that includes data representing a circuit design schematic including a plurality of instances and a plurality of nets, to permit measurement of current flow through at least a first net of one of said instances during a subsequent simulation process, said method comprising:
- assigning a property to said one instance, the property identifying said first net through which current flow is to be measured and a supply to be connected to the identified net;
- creating the netlist file by traversing the hierarchy of the schematic to locate each of said instances in sequence;
- checking each instance located to determine if the instance located has the property;
- creating a uniquely identified artificial net for said first net that is identified by the property;
- and
- substituting the artificial net of said one instance for the identified net of said one instance in the netlist file at the time that the netlist file is being created.
A system for manipulating a netlist file at the time the netlist file is being created from a data file that includes data representing a circuit design schematic including a plurality of instances and a plurality of nets, to permit measurement of current flow through at least a first net of one of said instances during a subsequent simulation process, said system comprising:
- an input mechanism for assigning a property to said one instance, the property identifying said first net through which current flow is to be measured and a supply to be connected to the identified net;
- a traversal engine for creating the netlist file, wherein the traversal engine performs the steps of:
- traversing the hierarchy of the schematic to locate each of said instances in sequence;
- checking each instance located to determine if the instance located has the property;
- evaluating the property for at least said one instance,
- creating a uniquely identified artificial net for said first net that is identified by the property;
- and
- substituting the artificial net for the identified net of said one instance at the time that the netlist file is being created.
A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having a computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing a netlist file to be manipulated at the time that the netlist file is being created from a data file that includes data representing a circuit design schematic including a plurality of instances and a plurality of nets, to permit measurement of current flow through at least a first net of one of said instances during a subsequent simulation process, said computer program product comprising:
- computer readable program code means for assigning a property to said one instance, the property identifying said first net through which current flow is to be measured and a supply to be connected to the identified net;
- computer readable program code means for creating the netlist file by traversing the hierarchy of the schematic to locate each of said instances in sequence;
- computer readable program code means for checking each instance located to determine if the instance located has the property;
- computer readable program code means for creating a uniquely identified artificial net for said first net that is identified by the property;
- and
- computer readable program code means for substituting the artificial net for the identified net of said one instance in the netlist file at the time that the netlist file is being created.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.