US 8,136,078 B2Granted

Optimization

AssigneeImec

InventorsAxel Nackaerts, Gustaaf Verhaegen, Paul Marchal

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Abstract

A method for optimizing a design for a device is disclosed. Such an optimization is performed with respect to a predetermined metric, e.g. device speed, area, power consumption or yield. In one aspect, the method comprises obtaining a design for a device. The design comprises design components. The method also comprises determining from the design components at least one group of first design components that has a higher sensitivity to the predetermined metric than second design components. The first design components may be on the critical path in the design. The method further comprises tuning the first design components and the technology for manufacturing the first design components thus reducing the variability of the first design components and obtaining an optimized design with respect to the predetermined metric.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A method of optimizing a design of a device with respect to a predetermined metric, the method comprising:

obtaining a design for a given device, the design comprising a plurality of design components and physical connections between the design components, each design component being a standard cell of a specific function;
determining from the plurality of design components at least one group of first design components influencing a predetermined metric to which the design is optimized, wherein the process of determining from the plurality of design components comprises partitioning the plurality of design components into at least a group of first design components and a group of second design components, the first design components putting a larger burden on the predetermined metric than the second design components;
and
tuning at least the first design components and tuning the technology and/or settings for manufacturing the first design components thus reducing the variability of the first design components and obtaining an optimized design with respect to the predetermined metric,
wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.