Extracting high frequency impedance in a circuit design using broadband representations

One or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to perform a method, the method comprising:

• selecting a signal-wire segment in at least a portion of a circuit description, the circuit description being indicative of a layout of at least signal-wire segments, ground-wire segments, and power-wire segments in a circuit design;
• determining loop inductance values and loop resistance values for the signal-wire segment at at least a first frequency of operation and a second frequency of operation;
• and
• computing values for one or more inductance components and one or more resistance components of a broadband representation of the signal-wire segment, the broadband representation comprising at least one but no more than two parallel-coupled resistance components and inductance components, the values computed being based at least in part on the determined loop inductance values and loop resistance values.

A computer-implemented method, comprising:

• loading at least a portion of a circuit description, the circuit description being indicative of a layout of at least signal-wire segments, ground-wire segments, and power-wire segments in a circuit design;
• selecting a signal-wire segment;
• determining loop inductance values and loop resistance values for the signal-wire segment at a plurality of different frequencies of operation;
• determining whether one or more step transitions in the loop inductance and loop resistance of the signal-wire segment occur between frequencies of the plurality of different frequencies;
• generating a representation of the signal-wire segment using one of a plurality of different representation types, the representation type used being dependent at least in part on the number of step transitions determined;
• and
• storing the representation on one or more computer-readable media.

One or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to perform a method, the method comprising:

• selecting a signal-wire segment in at least a portion of a circuit description, the circuit description being indicative of a layout of at least signal-wire segments, ground-wire segments, and power-wire segments in a circuit design;
• determining loop inductance values and loop resistance values for the signal-wire segment at a plurality of different frequencies of operation;
• determining whether one or more step transitions in the loop inductance and loop resistance of the signal-wire segment occur between frequencies of the plurality of different frequencies;
• and
• generating a representation of the signal-wire segment using one of a plurality of different representation types, the representation type used being dependent at least in part on the number of step transitions determined.

One or more computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to perform a method, the method comprising:

• providing a user interface that allows a user to select whether to perform an impedance extraction process for a single frequency or for a range of frequencies;
• performing impedance extraction for the single frequency or the range of frequencies responsive to the selection made by the user via the user interface;
• and
• generating a netlist comprising electrical parameters indicative of at least inductance and resistance of signal-wire segments in a circuit design, the netlist including signal-wire representations having values determined by the impedance extraction.