Method and system for automatically establishing hierarchical parameterized cell (pcell) debugging environment

A method for establishing a debugging user interface for a hierarchical cell instantiation, comprising:

• establishing a data store of source code portions, each source code portion defining a cell template, the source code portions being executable to establish cells in an Integrated Circuit (IC) design based on a corresponding cell template;
• providing an IC design, the IC design including at least one hierarchical cell having a hierarchy of levels contained therein of dependent cells, each said dependent cell being collectively defined by a cell template in the data store and at least one parametric component derived from an evaluation of at least one other cell within the hierarchical cell;
• actuating a user interface to accept a selection of at least one cell within a hierarchical cell in the IC design;
• actuating a computer processor to:
• identify a set of cells that the selected cell depends upon;
• load a set of source code portions including at least the source code portion corresponding to the selected cell and the identified set of cells;
• execute at least a part of the set of source code portions to generate a value of at least one parametric component for the selected cell;
• arrest execution of the set of source code portions at a predetermined location therein;
• and,
• actuate the user interface to display:
• the source code portion corresponding to the selected cell, and,
• the value of the at least one parametric component of the selected cell derived from an evaluation of at least one other cell within the hierarchical cell.

A system for automatically guiding debugging of a computer program operable to generate an integrated circuit (IC) design, comprising:

• a memory storing a plurality of source code portions, each source code portion defining at least part of a cell;
• a user interface functionally coupled to the memory and operable to accept a selection from a user of at least one cell in an integrated circuit (IC) layout, the layout including at least one hierarchical cell having a hierarchy of subordinate cells formed therein, each subordinate cell being collectively defined by a corresponding source code portion in the memory and at least one parametric component derived from at least one other cell within the hierarchy;
• a computer processor functionally coupled to the user interface and memory, the computer processor being operable to:
• identify a source code portion in the memory corresponding to the selected cell;
• establish a breakpoint, responsive to the user selection, at a predetermined location of the source code portion corresponding to the selected cell;
• execute a set of source code portions to establish at least a portion of the hierarchical cell containing the selected cell to generate a value for at least one parametric component of the selected cell;
• arrest execution at the breakpoint;
• display to a user the source code portion corresponding to the selected cell and the value for the at least one parametric component of the selected cell via the user interface.