International Business Machines Corporation

Christopher J Gonzalez

Vinod Ramadurai

Norman Jay Rohrer

Balaram Sinharoy

Bryan J Lloyd

David S Wolpert

Michael H Wood

Paul David Kartschoke

Ryan Michael Kruse

Alper Buyuktosunoglu

Pradip Bose

Jason D Hibbeler

Victor V Zyuban

Michael S Gray

Moinuddin K Qureshi

Matthew Thomas Guzowski

Mathew I Ringler

William Alan Binder

Brian G Veraa

Sherwin C Murphy, Jr

Xiaoyun K Wu

Stephen I Runyon

Brian Veraa

Aspects of the invention include systems and methods configured to provide hierarchical circuit designs that makes use of effective metal density screens during hierarchical design rule checking (DRC) analysis. A non-limiting example computer-implemented method includes providing a first hierarchical level of a chip design. The first hierarchical level includes one or more internal shapes and at least one blockage shape having an internal structure defined at a second hierarchical level of the chip design. A tuple is assigned to the blockage shape. The tuple includes a metal layer identifier for the blockage shape, a minimum expected density for the blockage shape, and a maximum expected density for the blockage shape. The method includes determining whether a density violation exists in the first hierarchical level based in part on one or both of the minimum expected density for the blockage shape and the maximum expected density for the blockage shape.

Effective metal density screens for hierarchical design rule checking (DRC) analysis

A method is provided to increase processor frequency in an integrated circuit (IC). The method includes identifying a gate included in the IC, the gate having a gate threshold voltage and performing a plasma process to form an antenna signal path in signal communication with the gate. The method further comprises adjusting the plasma process or circuit design to increase plasma induced damage (PID) applied to the gate so as to alter the gate threshold voltage.

Processor frequency improvement based on antenna optimization

A system is configured to avoid establishing an electrostatic discharge (ESD) region in an integrated circuit (IC). The system includes a processor and memory storing an IC simulator. The IC simulator establishes an IC chip that is sub-divided into a plurality of hierarchical levels. The IC simulator further analyzes a first hierarchical level to determine first connectivity information indicating connectivity between the first hierarchical level and one or both of lower-level pins and lower-level nets of a targeted hierarchical level having a lower-level of hierarchy with respect to the first hierarchical level and analyzes the targeted hierarchical level to determine second connectivity information indicating diode connectivity to one or both high-level pins and higher-level nets included in the first hierarchical level. The IC simulator determines an ESD fail region mitigation operation configured to avoid establishing the ESD region based on the first connectivity information and the second connectivity information.

Avoiding electrostatic discharge events from cross-hierarchy tie nets

Technical solutions are described for a load-store unit (LSU) that executes a plurality of instructions in an out-of-order (OoO) window using multiple LSU pipes. The execution includes selecting an instruction from the OoO window, the instruction using an effective address; and if the instruction is a load instruction: and if the processing unit is operating in single thread mode, creating an entry in a first partition of a load reorder queue (LRQ) if the instruction is issued on a first load pipe, and creating the entry in a second partition of the LRQ if the instruction is issued on a second load pipe. Further, if the processing unit is operating in a multi-thread mode, creating the entry in a first predetermined portion of the first partition of the LRQ if the instruction is issued on the first load pipe and by a first thread of the processing unit.

Load-store unit with partitioned reorder queues with single cam port

Technical solutions are described for out-of-order (OoO) execution of one or more instructions by a processing unit includes receiving, by a load-store unit (LSU) of the processing unit, an OoO window of instructions including a plurality of instructions to be executed OoO, and issuing, by the LSU, instructions from the OoO window. The issuing includes selecting an instruction from the OoO window, the instruction using an effective address. Further, in response to the instruction being a load instruction, it is determined whether the effective address is present in an effective address directory (EAD). In response to the effective address being present in the EAD, the load instruction is issued using the effective address. Further, in response to the instruction being a store instruction, a real address mapped to the effective address is determined from an effective-real translation (ERT) table, and the store instruction is issued using the real address.

Executing load-store operations without address translation hardware per load-store unit port

Technical solutions are described for executing one or more out-of-order (OoO) instructions by a processing unit. The execution includes detecting, by a load-store unit (LSU), a load-hit-store (LHS) in an out-of-order execution of the instructions, the detecting based only on effective addresses. The detecting includes determining an effective address associated with an operand of a load instruction. The detecting further includes determining whether a store instruction entry using said effective address to store a data value is present in a store reorder queue, and indicating that an LHS has been detected based at least in part on determining that store instruction entry using said effective address is present in the store reorder queue. In response to detecting the LHS, a store forwarding is performed that includes forwarding data from the store instruction to the load instruction.

Efficient store-forwarding with partitioned FIFO store-reorder queue in out-of-order processor

Technical solutions are described for executing one or more out-of-order instructions by a load-store unit (LSU) by detecting a load-hit-load (LHL) case based only on effective addresses (EA). An example method includes, in response to receiving a first load instruction, creating an entry in a LHL table. Further, in response to receiving a second load instruction in the load reorder queue, and in response to the predetermined number of bits from a second EA used by the second load instruction matching the predetermined number of bits from the first EA, comparing the first EA and the second EA. Further, a first thread identifier for the first load instruction is compared with a second thread identifier for the second load instruction. In response to the first EA matching the second EA, and the first thread identifier matching the second thread identifier, the method includes flushing the first load instruction.

Load-hit-load detection in an out-of-order processor

A mechanism is provided for approximating data switching activity in a data processing system. A data switching activity identification mechanism in the data processing system receives an identification of a set of data storage devices and a set of bits in the set of data storage devices in the data processing system to be monitored for the data switching activity. The data switching activity identification mechanism sums a count of the identified bits that have changed state for the data storage device along with other counts of the identified bits that have changed state for other data storage devices in the set of data storage devices to form an approximation of data switching activity. A power manager in the data processing system then adjusts a set of operational parameters associated with the data processing system using the approximation of data switching activity.

Measuring data switching activity in a microprocessor

The invention generally relates to integrated circuit design, and more particularly to systems and methods for providing power optimization in a hierarchical netlist. A method includes generating a hierarchical netlist of the design, wherein the design includes a plurality of macros. The method also includes determining the timing slack of each path of the design. For each pin of each one of the plurality of macros, the method includes: determining the worst timing path; determining the slack value of the worst timing path; determining the subset of macros of the plurality of macros associated with the worst timing path; determining an apportionment parameter for each one of the subset of macros; determining a distribution of the slack amongst the subset of macros based upon the respective apportionment parameters; and adjusting timing assertions for each one of the subset of macros based upon the distribution of the slack.

Method and system for achieving power optimization in a hierarchical netlist

A selection circuit. The selection circuit comprises a logic circuit, an array of sub-circuits and a switching circuit electrically coupled to each other. The selection circuit is subjected to a first operating condition. The switching circuit selects a group of sub-circuits from the array. The selection circuit generates a first frequency. The selection circuit is subjected to a second operating condition that is different from the first operating condition and generates a second frequency. A first frequency differential between the first frequency and the second frequency is compared to a predetermined frequency differential to determine if the first frequency differential is about equal to the predetermined frequency differential.

Circuit for matching semiconductor device behavior

A design structure and method. The design structure comprises a selection circuit comprising a logic circuit, an array of sub-circuits and a switching circuit electrically coupled to each other. The selection circuit is subjected to a first operating condition. The switching circuit selects a group of sub-circuits from the array. The selection circuit generates a first frequency. The selection circuit is subjected to a second operating condition that is different from the first operating condition and generates a second frequency. A first frequency differential between the first frequency and the second frequency is compared to a predetermined frequency differential to determine if the first frequency differential is about equal to the predetermined frequency differential.

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Shelburne, VT, United States of America

Christopher J Gonzalez