Scaled sigma sampling

A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a set of instructions, the set of instructions comprising instructions to manipulate a processing system to:

• receive an integrated circuit (IC) design;
• generate a first plurality of sample values including a first set of sample values for a first characteristic of the IC design based upon a first predefined probability distribution of the first characteristic and including a second set of sample values for a second characteristic of the IC design based upon a second predefined probability distribution of the second characteristic;
• simulate, based upon the IC design, to determine a first set of IC performance information, wherein each IC performance information of the first set represents an expected performance of an IC device having a corresponding first pair of sample values, each corresponding first pair of sample values including a corresponding sample value of the first set of sample values and of the second set of sample values;
• generate a second plurality of sample values including a third set of sample values for the first characteristic of the IC design based upon a third predefined probability distribution of the first characteristic of the IC design and including a fourth set of sample values for the second characteristic of the IC design based upon a fourth predefined probability distribution of the second characteristic of the IC design, wherein the third predefined probability distribution is obtained by scaling a standard deviation of the first predefined probability distribution by a scaling factor λ that is a real number greater than 1.0, and wherein the fourth predefined probability distribution is obtained by scaling a standard deviation of the second predefined probability distribution by the scaling factor λ;
• simulate, based on the IC design, to determine a second set of IC performance information, wherein each IC performance information of the second set represents an expected performance of an IC device having a corresponding second pair of sample values, each corresponding second pair of sample values including a corresponding sample value of the third set of sample values and of the fourth set of sample values;
• and
• determine a manufacturing characteristic of integrated circuits based on the first and second set of IC performance information.

A system comprising:

• a processor:
• a first circuit portion configured to receive an integrated circuit (IC) design of an IC device including values of parameters of a first set of probability distributions of characteristics of the IC device;
• a second circuit portion configured to:
• receive the values,
• generate a first set of sample values of the characteristics of the IC device based upon the probability distributions of the characteristics of the IC device, and
• generate a second set of sample values of the characteristics of the IC device based upon a second set of probability distributions of the characteristics of the IC device, wherein the second set of probability distributions is obtained by scaling standard deviations of the first set of probability distributions by a scaling factor λ that is a real number greater than 1.0;
• a third circuit portion configured to:
• receive the IC device design from the first circuit portion,
• receive the first and second set of sample values of the characteristics of the IC device from the second circuit portion,
• simulate the IC device based upon the first set of sample values to generate a first set of expected IC performance information, and
• simulate the IC device based upon the second set of sample values to generate a second set of expected IC performance information;
• and
• a fourth circuit portion configured to determine a manufacturing characteristic of the IC device based on the first and second set of expected IC performance information.