Automatic routing system with variable width interconnect
AssigneePulsic Limited
InventorsGraham Baldsdon, Jeremy Birch, Mark Williams, Mark Waller, Tim Parker, Fumiaki Sato
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system automatically routes interconnect of an integrated circuit design using variable width interconnect lines. For example, a first automatically routed interconnect may have a different width from a second automatically routed interconnect. The system will vary the width of the interconnect lines based on certain factors or criteria. These factors include current or power handling, reliability, electromigration, voltage drops, self-heating, optical proximity effects, or other factors, or combinations of these factors. The system may use a gridded or a gridless (or shape-based) approach.
Claims15
A method of designing an integrated circuit comprising:
- using at least one flooding operation to determine an interconnect route path between a first point and a second point of an integrated circuit design;
- determining a property of the interconnect route path;
- and
- using a computer processor, creating an interconnect line for the interconnect route path having a width based on the property of the interconnect route path and a design rule;
- creating a first subnet of the interconnect line coupled to the first point;
- creating a second subnet of the interconnect line coupled to the second point without passing through the first subnet;
- creating a third subnet, which joins the first and second subnets
- using the computer processor, widening a width of the third subnet so its width is greater than the first or second subnets.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.