System and method for reducing timing violations due to crosstalk in an integrated circuit design
AssigneeNEC Electronics America, Inc.
InventorsAttila Kovacs, Jeffrey A. Buckles
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method involves: detecting a timing violation in a timing path included in an integrated circuit design; removing a wire, which couples two nodes in the integrated circuit design and is included in the timing path; and routing a new wire between the two nodes. The new wire is longer than the removed wire. The method can also involve: calculating timing information (e.g., delay and/or slew information) for the wires included in the timing path and selecting the wire for removal dependent on the timing information. In some embodiments, such a method eliminates timing violations that arise due to crosstalk in a single post-timing-analysis routing pass.
Claims50
A method, comprising:
- detecting a timing violation, caused by crosstalk, in a timing path included in an integrated circuit design;
- removing one of one or more wires included in the timing path, wherein the one of the one or more wires couples two nodes included in the integrated circuit design;
- and
- routing a new wire between the two nodes, wherein the new wire is longer than the removed one of the one or more wires, and wherein the new wire experiences fewer crosstalk effects than the removed one of the one or more wires, wherein
- a driver for driving signals on the new wire has substantially a same size as a driver for driving signals on the one of the one or more wires removed by said removing.
A system, comprising:
- a processor;
- and
- a memory coupled to the processor and storing program instructions executable by the processor to:
- detect a timing violation, caused by crosstalk, in a timing path included in an integrated circuit design;
- remove one of one or more wires included in the timing path, wherein the one of the one or more wires couples two nodes;
- and
- route a new wire between the two nodes, wherein the new wire is longer than the removed one of the one or more wires, wherein the new wire experiences fewer crosstalk effects than the removed one of the one or more wires, and wherein a driver for driving signals on the new wire has substantially a same size as a driver for driving signals on the removed one of the one or more wires.
A computer readable medium comprising program instructions executable to:
- detect a timing violation, caused by crosstalk, in a timing path included in the integrated circuit design;
- remove one of one or more wires included in the timing path, wherein the one of the one or more wires couples two nodes;
- and
- route a new wire between the two nodes, wherein the new wire is longer than the removed one of the one or more wires, wherein the new wire experiences fewer crosstalk effects than the removed one of the one or more wires, and wherein a driver for driving signals on the new wire has substantially a same size as a driver for driving signals on the removed one of the one or more wires.
A computer readable medium, comprising program instructions executable to:
- select one of a one or more wires included in a timing path included in an integrated circuit design for removal in response to a timing violation, caused by crosstalk, being detected in the timing path, wherein
- the one of the one or more wires couples two nodes in the integrated circuit design;
- remove the one of the one or more wires selected by said selecting;
- route a new wire between the two nodes, wherein the new wire is longer than the one of the one or more wires removed by said removing, wherein the new wire experiences fewer crosstalk effects than the removed one of the one or more wires, and wherein a driver for driving signals on the new wire has substantially a same size as a driver for driving signals on the removed one of the one or more wires.
A integrated circuit designed by a process, the process comprising:
- detecting a timing violation, caused by crosstalk, in a timing path included in an integrated circuit design;
- removing one of one or more wires included in the timing path, wherein the one of the one or more wires couples two nodes included in the integrated circuit design;
- and
- routing a new wire between the two nodes, wherein the new wire is longer than the removed one of the one or more wires, wherein the new wire experiences fewer crosstalk effects than the removed one of the one or more wires, and wherein a driver for driving signals on the new wire has substantially a same size as a driver for driving signals on the removed one of the one or more wires;
- wherein the integrated circuit includes an empty space through which a shorter wire coupling the two nodes could have been placed during fabrication of the integrated circuit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.