International Business Machines Corporation

Globalfoundries Inc.

Ibrahim M Elfadel

Luis Alfonso Lastras-Montano

Michele M Franceschini

Mayank Sharma

David J Widiger

Tarek Ali El Moselhy

Thomas Mittelholzer

Hao Ming Huang

Ashish Jagmohan

Lewis William Dewey, Iii

Paul William Coteus

Kerry Bernstein

Daniel Joseph Friedman

Philip George Emma

John Peter Karidis

Matthew Joseph Breitwisch

Mark Alan Lavin

Meikei Ieong

Ruchir Puri

Albert M Young

Mark B Ritter

Prabhakar Nandavar Kudva

Kathryn Wilder Guarini

Jeannine Madelyn Trewhella

Roger W Cheek

Matthew S Angyal

David Shing-Ki Kung

Alina Deutsch

Stefanie Ruth Chiras

Albert E Ruehli

Tarek A El-Moselhy

Syed M Alam

Arifur Rahman

Ying Liu

Stanislav Polonsky

Amith Singhee

Howard Harold Smith

Gerard Vincent Kopcsay

Barry Jay Rubin

Patrick M Williams

Minakshisundaran Balasubramanian Anand

Zhichao Zhang

A computer system selects a signal conductor from an electronic circuit design layout and assigns a first potential to the selected signal conductor. Next, the computer system assigns a second potential to other signal conductors included in the electronic circuit design layout. The computer system then selects a metal fill from the electronic circuit design layout, which is void from carrying an electrical signal, and generates a zero charge equation for the selected metal fill. The zero charge equation establishes that a total charge residing on the selected metal fill is equal to zero. The computer system includes the zero charge equation in a system of equations, which includes grid point potential equations, and solves the system of equations. In turn, the computer system computes capacitance values for the signal conductors based upon the system of equation solutions, and simulates the electronic circuit design layout using the computed capacitance values.

Generating capacitance look-up tables for wiring patterns in the presence of metal fills

Systems, methods, and devices for iteratively writing contents to memory locations are provided. A statistical model is used to determine a sequence of pulses to write desired contents to a memory location. The contents can be expressed as a resistance value in a range to store one or more bits in a memory cell. For phase change memory, an adaptive reset pulse and one or more annealing pulses are selected based on a desired resistance range. Reading the resistance value of the memory cell can provide feedback to determine adjustments in an overall pulse application strategy. The statistical model and a look up table can be used to select and modify pulses. Adaptively updating the statistical model and look up table may reduce the number of looping iterations to shift the resistance value of the memory cell into the desired resistance range.

Memory programming for a phase change memory cell

Providing increased capacity in heterogeneous storage elements including a method for storing data in a heterogeneous memory that includes receiving a write message and a write address corresponding to a block of memory cells where at least two of the memory cells support different data levels, determining physical characteristics of the memory cells, and identifying virtual memories associated with the block of memory cells in response to the physical characteristics. The following is performed for each of the virtual memories: generating a constraint vector that describes the virtual cells in the virtual memory; and calculating a virtual write vector in response to the constraint vector and the write data, the calculating including writing the write data, bit by bit, in order, into the virtual memory, skipping locations known to be stuck to a particular value as indicated by the constraint vector. The virtual write vectors are combined into a write word and the write word is output to the block of memory cells.

Increased capacity heterogeneous storage elements

Providing increased capacity in heterogeneous storage elements including a method for reading from memory. The method includes receiving a read word from a block of memory cells, where physical characteristics of the memory cells support different sets of data levels. The read word is separated into two or more virtual read vectors. For each of the virtual read vectors, the codebook that was utilized to generate the virtual read vector is identified and a partial read data vector is generated. The generating includes multiplying the virtual read vector by a matrix that represents the codebook. The partial read data vectors are combined into a read message and the read message is output.

Selecting bins in a memory by receiving a target cost for performing writes at an analog memory that is capable of storing a range of values. Possible bins that may be created in the range of values and a cost associated with each possible bin are determined. Each possible bin includes one or more of the values. A group of bins are identified, the group of bins are among the possible bins with associated costs that are within a threshold of the target cost. A maximum number of bins are selected from the group of bins that have non-overlapping values. The selected bins are stored along with the values of the selected bins utilized to encode and decode contents of the analog memory.

Adjustable write bins for multi-level analog memories

A method, system, and computer usable program product for detecting dose and focus variations during photolithography are provided in the illustrative embodiments. A test shape is formed on a wafer, the wafer being used to manufacture integrated circuits, the test shape being formed using a dose value and a focus value that are predetermined for the manufacturing. A capacitance of the test shape is measured. The capacitance is resolved to a second dosing value and a second focus value using an extraction model. A difference between the dosing value and the second dosing value is computed. A recommendation is made for dosing adjustment in the manufacturing based on the difference.

Detecting dose and focus variations during photolithography

Providing increased capacity in heterogeneous storage elements including a method for storing data including a write process writing to a memory and a read process reading from the memory. Physical characteristics of memory cells in the memory support different sets of data levels. The write process takes into account the different sets of data levels when writing to the memory. The read process first obtains data in the memory and subsequently determines how to interpret the data.

Computing the gradients of capacitances in an integrated circuit chip layout with respect to design and process parameters is described. Included is a shape processing engine in the form of a variational mapping engine and a capacitance calculation engine that includes a gradient calculation engine. The variational mapping engine translates physical parameter variations into variations on the edges of the elementary patterns to which the layout of the integrated circuit is decomposed. The gradient calculation engine computes capacitance gradients by combining information from two sources. The first source consists of pre-existing gradients in a capacitance lookup table. The second source consists of analytical expressions of capacitance correction factors.

Method for calculating capacitance gradients in VLSI layouts using a shape processing engine

A computer system selects a shape included in an integrated circuit's layout file, and then selects a first contact and a second contact located on the shape. Next, the computer system computes a nominal resistance between the first contact and the second contact based upon a nominal boundary of the shape, and then computes an adjoint system vector based upon a perturbed boundary of the shape. Using the adjoint system vector, the computer system computes a resistance sensitivity between the first contact and the second contact. In turn, the computer system simulates the integrated circuit using the computed nominal resistance and the computed resistance sensitivity.

Computing resistance sensitivities with respect to geometric parameters of conductors with arbitrary shapes

The Width Bias Calculator (WBC) calculates electrical values by effectively averaging the electrical values to either side of a target wire shape whereby values are approximated for design validation without a significant impact on performance or memory consumption.

Accurate approximation of resistance in a wire with irregular biasing and determination of interconnect capacitances in VLSI layouts in the presence of Catastrophic Optical Proximity Correction

An analog memory having adjustable write bins including a system for writing to the memory. The system includes a write apparatus interpreting one or more write control signals, generating a write signal, and applying the write signal at a selected memory location to store a desired content. The selected memory location is subject to data dependent noise and is capable of storing a range of values grouped into 'n' bins configured such that the average cost to write to at least 'n-1' of the bins is within a threshold of a target cost for the selected analog memory location. The system also includes a read apparatus. The system further includes write control circuitry that includes a write signal selector selecting the one or more write control signals responsive to the desired content, current content of the selected memory location, and a bin associated with the desired content.

Capacitance extraction techniques are provided. In one aspect, a method for analyzing variational coupling capacitance between conductors in an integrated circuit design is provided. The method comprises the following steps. Coupling capacitance is computed between conductors of interest from the design using a set of floating random walk paths. One or more of the conductors are perturbed. Any of the floating random walk paths affected by the perturbation are modified. The coupling capacitance between the conductors of interest is recomputed to include the modified floating random walk paths.

System and method for three-dimensional variational capacitance calculation

Transmission line macromodels can be classified into main categories of delay-extraction and rational approximation. The exponential solution of the Telegrapher's Equation is used to create a system and method that enable a time-domain circuit simulator to automatically select the most appropriate macromodel for a given transmission line structure.

System and method for automatic selection of transmission line macromodels

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Cortlandt Manor, NY, United States of America

Ibrahim M Elfadel