International Business Machines Corporation

Friedrich Schroeder

Kurt Lind

Wilhelm Ernst Haller

Ulrich Krauch

Harry S Barowski

Stefan Zimmermann

Manuel Beck

Stefan Bonsels

Cedric Lichtenau

Dieter F Wendel

Maarten Jakob Boersma

Thomas Pflueger

Tobias Gemmeke

Thomas Fuchs

Alexander Albert Woerner

Siegmund Schlechter

Antje Mueller

David Lang

Peter G Loeffler

Harold Mielich

A circuit is provided for addition of multiple binary numbers. The circuit includes a 4-to-2-compressor configured for calculating a compressed representation from four binary numbers received via operand inputs of the 4-to-2-compressor. The 4-to-2-compressor includes a first sub-circuit and a second sub-circuit. Each of the first sub-circuit and the second sub-circuit is configured for transmitting a bitwise inverted representation, of a compressed representation, from three binary numbers.

Circuit for addition of multiple binary numbers

A semiconductor circuit is provided having a crossbar switch arrangement, which includes at least one multiplexer, an output of which corresponds to an output of the crossbar switch arrangement. The arrangement also includes: a set of input lines connected to data inputs of the multiplexer, the input lines extending along a first direction of the semiconductor circuit; and a set of select lines connected to select inputs of the multiplexer, the select lines extending along a second direction of the semiconductor circuit, where the second direction differs from the first direction. The multiplexer includes at least one multiplexing circuit for generating a multiplexed signal from signals present at the input lines and at least one primary output driver for generating an output signal from the multiplexed signal.

Cross bar switch structure for highly congested environments

A facility is provided for automatically generating design data for a semiconductor circuit including a crossbar switch. The method includes synthesizing the crossbar switch using predefined multiplexer building blocks, where the predefined multiplexer building blocks include at least a multiplexer, an input driver and a select driver. In addition, the method includes regularly placing the predefined multiplexer building blocks to define a crossbar switch arrangement, testing the crossbar switch arrangement for timing constraints and re-synthesizing the crossbar switch and/or replacing the predefined multiplexer building blocks based on the testing.

Method to synthesize a cross bar switch in a highly congested environment

An end point report for a design of an electronic circuit may be analyzed. Results of a static timing analysis run are loaded, a path from the loaded results is selected, and technology specific context data is provided. Additionally, a determination is made for every test point of the selected path of design quality parameters for determining a design problem area, and a determination is made for every design problem area, of a root cause by analyzing design problem area data in comparison to related ones of the technology specific context data.

Detecting circuit design flaws based on timing analysis

Automated analyzing of an endpoint report for a design of an electronic circuit is provided, which includes: identifying, by a processing device, that one or more test points of a selected path of the endpoint report are associated with one or more inverter devices of an inverter chain of the design of the electronic circuit; establishing, by the processing device, a chain criticality value for the inverter chain; and determining, by the processing device, whether to identify the inverter chain as a dispensable inverter chain, the determining using, at least in part, the chain criticality value for the inverter chain. The establishing may include updating the chain criticality value for each inverter device of the inverter chain, where the chain criticality value is a summed value obtained from criticality values for the one or more inverter devices of the inverter chain.

Detecting dispensable inverter chains in a circuit design

A list of input registers and output registers for a circuit design are provided. The circuit design is modified by traversing output connections paths for each input register and replacing any register in the output connection paths with a wire unless the register is a listed output register. An initial total cycle time value for the modified circuit design is determined. A gate level description for the modified circuit design is obtained by a macro synthesis with the initial total cycle time value. The total cycle time value for the modified circuit design is then varied in order to determine the theoretical limit of the modified circuit design. This theoretical limit is realized when negative slacks are present in a macro synthesis of the modified circuit design for a given total cycle time value. Based on this theoretical limit, the minimum pipeline depth of the circuit design is determined.

Pipeline depth exploration in a register transfer level design description of an electronic circuit

An end point report is created from a comprehensive timing report following steps that include: receiving a comprehensive timing report for an electronic circuit, determining a timing data set for a start pin, determining a worst timing path that includes the start pin based, at least in part, upon the comprehensive timing report, and generating an end point report for the worst timing path.

Creating an end point report based on a comprehensive timing report

The present invention relates to a method for controlling the supply voltage for an integrated circuit, which is connected to a voltage regulation module via a sense line, a voltage supply line and a bus wherein the supply voltage is provided by the voltage regulation module () via the voltage supply line. The supply voltage is composed of a reference voltage and a number of additional voltage levels. The reference voltage is defined by a voltage source and controlled by the integrated circuit via the bus, and the number of additional voltage levels is determined by the integrated circuit and send to the voltage regulation module via the sense line. Further the present invention relates to a corresponding apparatus with a voltage regulation module and an integrated circuit.

Method for controlling the supply voltage for an integrated circuit and an apparatus with a voltage regulation module and an integrated circuit

Multistage synthesis of hardware function operation descriptions is provided, which facilitates placement of logic cells in an integrated circuit design layout, and includes: parsing hardware function operation descriptions of a circuit to identify multiple instantiations of a type of logic function; performing, without shape restriction, a first synthesis on each logic function type identified as having multiple instantiations and producing an irregular-shaped logic unit layout for that logic function type; establishing an irregular-shaped blocking mask corresponding to a respective irregular-shaped logic unit layout produced by the first synthesis; creating a partial circuit layout by placing each irregular-shaped blocking mask multiple times corresponding to the multiple instantiations of the respective logic function type; and performing, employing the partial circuit layout, a second synthesis on the balance of the hardware function operation descriptions of the circuit outside the multiple instantiations of the logic function type.

Multistage, hybrid synthesis processing facilitating integrated circuit layout

A three stage circuit according to the invention comprises a data input, a data output, a control input, two voltage supply inputs. The first stage is electrically connected to the data input and control input and is defined by a combinatorial circuitry with two outputs. The second stage is defined by at least two transistors connected in series between the two voltage supply inputs with their inputs electrically connected to the respective outputs of the first stage and with a common output such that in connection with the first stage they operate as a tri-state gate. The third stage of that three stage circuit is electrically connected to the control input and the common output of the second stage. The three stage circuit is switched to a low leakage state by a control signal feed via the control input and setting the two transistors in their off state resulting in a second stage with a floating common output filtered by the third stage via the control signal actively driven the data output to a specific logic value.

Growing community of inventors

Stuttgart, Germany

Friedrich Schroeder