Magma Design Automation, Inc.

Synopsys, Inc.

Barcelona Design, Inc.

Sabio Labs, Inc.

Mar Hershenson

David M Colleran

Stephen P Boyd

Andre Hentz

Arash Hassibi

Sunderarjan Mohan

Xiling Shen

Dave Colleran

Lieven Vandenberghe

Cesar Crusius

Methods for optimizing design parameters of a circuit are disclosed. In one aspect, an optimization problem includes one or more performance specifications that represent an exponent of a design parameter to be optimized. Various parameters of passive and active circuit devices may be efficiently and accurately optimized as a result. In another aspect, linear performance specifications are included for accurately calculating voltages. In yet other aspects of the invention, three special types of convex optimization problems are disclosed for enabling the above use of exponents of design parameters which provide efficient and accurate calculations of a virtually unlimited array of circuit parameters and performance characteristics.

Optimization for circuit design

Circuit optimization with posynomial function F having an exponent of a first design parameter

A method and apparatus for parsing signomial and geometric programs, referred to herein as 'the Parser'. Signomial and Geometric programming is a unique class of mathematical problems that is useful in the study of optimization problems. The Parser is a program designed to recognize and parse both signomial and geometric programs such that they may be accepted and solved by signomial and geometric program solvers. The Parser accepts an optimization problem from a user in the form of algebraic expressions. The Parser can then identify the problem as a signomial program and can further determine if it reduces to a geometric program. If either a signomial or geometric program exists, the Parser converts the algebraic expressions to a compact numeric format that can be accepted by a computer-aided solver. In the case of a geometric program, the solver may find a global solution to the optimization problem. However, in the case of signomial program, the solver may only find a local solution. The solution found by the solver is routed back to the Parser which reports it in a user-readable format.

Parser for signomial and geometric programs

A method is described for optimal simultaneous design and floorplanning of integrated circuits. The method is based on formulating the problem as a geometric program, which then can be solved numerically with great efficiency. Prior work discloses the design of many different analog circuit cells such as operational amplifiers, spiral inductors, and LC oscillators which can be cast as geometric programs. The present disclosure adds to this layout floorplanning constraints in posynomial form that can be mixed with design constraints for different analog circuits. This allows the simultaneous design and floorplanning of numerous analog circuits using geometric programming. Thus, the design and floorplanning can be performed optimally in a single step.

Optimal simultaneous design and floorplanning of integrated circuit

Growing community of inventors

Los Altos, CA, United States of America

Mar Hershenson