System for avoiding electromigration in LSI circuits

A method of avoiding electromigration-induced failure problem in an integrated circuit, comprising the steps of:

• determining electric current density of electric current that would pass through a conductor line lying along a first path;
• comparing said determined electric current density with a predetermined reference value;
• and
• determining a position of a buffer for insertion into said first path in response to said comparing result.

A method of avoiding electromigration-induced failure problem in an integrated circuit, comprising the steps of:

• determining electric current density of electric current that would pass through a conductor line lying along a first path;
• comparing said determined electric current density with a predetermined value;
• determining a position of a buffer for insertion into said first path in response to said comparing result;
• and
• altering a second path along which another conductor line lies when said second path interferes with said determined position of said buffer.

A method of avoiding electromigration-induced failure problem in an integrated circuit, comprising the steps of:

• determining electric current density of electric current that would pass through a conductor line lying along a first path;
• comparing said determined electric current density with a predetermined value;
• determining a position of a buffer for insertion into said first path in response to said comparing result;
• and
• moving one of said determined position of said buffer and a position of a circuit element when said position of said block interferes with said determined position of said buffer.

An apparatus for avoiding electromigration-induced failure problem during circuit design of a large scale integrated (LSI) circuit, the apparatus comprising:

• a conductor-path analyzer (CPA) to calculate an electric current density of electric current that would pass through a conductor line lying along a path, to evaluate the path based on the result of comparing the calculated electric current density with a predetermined reference value provided for evaluating the path, to determine whether or not the path involves electromigration-induced failure problem;
• a buffer selector to select a buffer, said buffer lowering current density of the conductor line lying along the path, based on the calculated electric current density if said CPA has determined that the path involved electromigration-induced failure problem;
• a position finder to determine a position of the selected buffer with respect to the path;
• a wiring modifier to determine new paths for conductor lines to interconnect the selected buffer at the determined position and circuit elements that have been interconnected by the path that has been determined as involving said electromigration-induced failure problem, and to determine a new path as a substitute of a path for a conductor line that will interfere with the selected buffer at the determined position, the conductor lines to interconnect the selected buffer and the circuit elements.

A method for avoiding electromigration-induced failure problem during circuit design of a large scale integrated (LSI) circuit, the method comprising the steps of:

• calculating an electric current density of electric current density of electric current that would pass through a conductor line lying along a path, to evaluate the path based on the result of comparing the calculated electric current density with a predetermined reference value provided for evaluating the path, to determine whether or not the path involves electromigration-induced failure problem;
• selecting a buffer, said buffer lowering current density of the conductor line lying along the path, based on the calculated electric current density if the path involves electromigration-induced failure problem;
• determining a position of the selected buffer with respect to the path;
• determining new paths for conductor lines to interconnect the selected buffer at the determined position and circuit elements that have been interconnected by the path that has been determined as involving said electromigration-induced failure problem, and to determine a new path as a substitute of a path for a conductor line that will interfere with the selected buffer at the determined position, the conductor lines to interconnect the selected buffer and the circuit elements.