Altera Corporation

Michael Howard Kipper

Navid Azizi

Joshua David Fender

Gordon Raymond Chiu

David Samuel Goldman

Techniques and mechanisms allow a Programmable Logic Device (PLD) to support a pseudo open drain (POD) input/output (I/O) standard used in interface protocols such as fourth generation double data rate (DDR4). An OR gate with inputs including data and an inverted output enable from a user's design may be inserted into programmable logic. The output of the OR gate may be coupled with an input of an I/O buffer.

Supporting pseudo open drain input/output standards in a programmable logic device

Methods and apparatus for reducing simultaneous switching noise (SSN) in an integrated circuit (IC) designed with a computer aided design (CAD) tool are presented. In one method, value assignments for parameters of the IC are received by the CAD tool. The value assignments are entered as a range of value. The minimum and the maximum path delays for each Input/Output (I/O) pin in an I/O block are determined such that the received value assignments are satisfied. The actual switching times of the I/O pins are spread out in time to decrease SSN in the I/O pins. The switching times are spread out so that the switching times fall between the minimum and the maximum path delay for the corresponding I/O pin.

Method and apparatus for simultaneous switching noise optimization

Methods, computer programs, and Integrated Circuits (IC) for minimizing Simultaneous Switching Noise (SSN) in the design of an IC are presented. In one embodiment, the method includes moving a candidate pin of the IC in an initial input/output (I/O) layout to create a candidate I/O layout. Further, in one operation the method calculates a first performance cost for the initial I/O layout and a second performance cost for the candidate I/O layout. The first and the second performance costs are based on an SSN cost for the initial layout and on an SSN cost for the candidate layout respectively. The method selects the layout to design the IC that has the lowest performance cost. The method operations are performed during the placement phase of an IC Computer Aided Design (CAD) tool.

Reducing simultaneous switching noise in an integrated circuit design during placement

Methods and apparatus for reducing simultaneous switching noise (SSN) in an integrated circuit (IC) designed with a computer aided design (CAD) tool are presented. In one method, value assignments for parameters of the IC are received by the CAD tool. The value assignments are entered as a range of value assignments or as a list of possible value assignments. Further, the method includes an operation for determining the minimum and the maximum path delays for each Input/Output (I/O) pin in an I/O block such that the received value assignments are satisfied. The actual switching times of the I/O pins are spread out in time to decrease SSN in the I/O pins. The switching times are spread out so that the switching times fall between the minimum and the maximum path delay for the corresponding I/O pin. Additionally, other method operations are included for routing paths to the I/O pins to meet the actual switching times and for creating a design for the IC that meets the actual switching times.

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Thornhill, Canada

Michael Howard Kipper