Re-routing time critical multi-sink nets in chip design

A routing system for improving a routing of a single chip multi-sink net of a semiconductor circuit, the system comprising:

• a processor and a memory coupled to the processor for executing program instructions;
• a receiver unit adapted to receiving a netlist, the netlist describing at least one routed multi-sink net and timing information related to a signal propagation delay value between a source of the multi-sink net and individual sinks of the multi-sink net;
• a slack determination unit adapted for determining at least one timing slack value related to a routed path from the source to one of the individual sinks based on the timing information;
• a critical sink determination unit adapted for determining at least one critical sink out of the individual sinks based on the related timing slack value, wherein the critical sink has a related timing slack value that is larger than a predefined threshold value;
• a deletion unit adapted for deleting all routed wires of the multi-sink net, wherein the routed wires relate to data describing physical shapes of connections between the source and the individual sinks;
• and
• a rerouting unit adapted for rerouting the multi-sink net, wherein at least one subnet of the multi-sink net, comprising the source and the critical sink, is routed before routing remaining individual sinks of the multi-sink net.

A computer program product for improving a routing of a single chip multi-sink net of a semiconductor circuit, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions being executable by one or more computing systems or controllers to cause the one or more computing systems to:

• receive a netlist, the netlist describing at least one routed multi-sink net and timing information related to a signal propagation delay value between a source of the multi-sink net and individual sinks of the multi-sink net;
• determine at least one timing slack value related to a routed path from the source to one of the individual sinks based on the timing information;
• determine at least one critical sink out of the individual sinks based on the related timing slack value, wherein the critical sink has a related timing slack value that is larger than a predefined threshold value;
• delete all routed wires of the multi-sink net, wherein the routed wires relate to data describing physical shapes of connections between the source and the individual sinks;
• and
• reroute the multi-sink net, wherein at least one subnet of the multi-sink net, comprising the source and the critical sink, is routed before routing remaining individual sinks of the multi-sink net.