Nassda Corporation

Silicon Frontline Technology Inc.

Andrei Tcherniaev

An-Chang Deng

Yuri Feinberg

Walter Chan

Iouri Feinberg

Jeh-Fu Tuan

Apparatus, systems, and methods are provided for processing integrated circuit chip design. A three-dimensional Monte Carlo random-walk process may be applied to a cell in a hierarchical description of the layout of the chip to extract information regarding the cell. The information may include coupling resistance, capacitance, inductance, or combinations thereof. A neighborhood of the cell may be built and data correlated to the neighborhood may be stored. Such a technique may be applied from a bottom level to a top level of the hierarchical description of the chip layout.

Three-dimensional hierarchical coupling extraction

Methods and apparatus for generating a hierarchical representation of a circuit include obtaining a netlist corresponding to the circuit, the circuit including a plurality of subcircuits. A hierarchical representation of the circuit is then generated from the netlist, the hierarchical representation including the plurality of subcircuits arranged among a plurality of levels of the hierarchical representation. Each one of the plurality of subcircuits has an associated subcircuit definition. In addition, each of a plurality of subsets of the subcircuits share a same subcircuit definition, where memory storage for the same subcircuit definition is shared by the subcircuits in each of the subsets. Moreover, each one of the plurality of subcircuits has a dynamic voltage state. Selected ones of the subcircuits in each of the plurality of subsets share a same dynamic voltage state, where memory storage for the same dynamic voltage state is shared by the subcircuits in each of the selected ones of the plurality of subsets. Once generated, the hierarchical representation may be used during simulation of the circuit to reduce the number of computations required.

Transistor level circuit simulator using hierarchical data

Growing community of inventors

Mountain View, CA, United States of America

Andrei Tcherniaev