Oracle America, Inc.

Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Oracle International Corporation

Robert E Mains

George J Chen

Krishnan Sundaresan

Matthew J Amatangelo

Jeannette Sutherland

Jaewon Oh

Venkatesh P Gopinath

Darryl J Gove

Shervin Hojat

Kong-Fai Woo

Steven M Rubin

Kuldeep Singh

Bruce M K Leong

Hien T Ha

Wei-Lun Hung

Gilda Garreton

Binhuai Brian Fa

Ke Peng

A system for verifying that device fingers of a semiconductor circuit have been properly represented by a corresponding layout diagram. The system determines a plurality of sub-circuits, from within a netlist of a schematic diagram, to be verified. Each sub-circuit of the plurality of sub-circuits includes a multi-finger device. The system also determines a first number of fingers included in the plurality of sub-circuits as represented by the schematic diagram. The system also determines a second number of fingers included in the plurality of sub-circuits as represented by the corresponding layout diagram. The system compares the first number of fingers against the second number of fingers. The system reports an error if the first number of fingers does not correspond to the second number of fingers.

Verifying proper representation of semiconductor device fingers

A method for computing power consumption includes querying a software database for a key node and a gate comprising an input port, connected to the key node, and an output port. The software database is created from a net list associated with a design. The method includes calculating a probability of activity level at the output port based on a predetermined activity level at the key node, and querying the software database for next gate comprising a next input port, connected to the previous output port, and a next output port. The method includes calculating a probability of activity level at the next output port based on the probability of activity level at the previous output port. The method includes computing a sub-circuit gate power by sum of power of all the gates based on the probability of activity level at output ports of the gates.

Technique for fast power estimation using probabilistic analysis of combinational logic

Various methods and apparatus for executing a multithreaded algorithm that performs a static timing analysis of an integrated circuit chip (chip) include logic for traversing the chip to identify a plurality of components (cells or nodes) within a chip circuit of the chip. A waveform graph is defined for the identified nodes. One or more virtual graphs are generated from the waveform graph. The plurality of nodes in the one or more virtual graphs are processed using multiple threads to obtain quadruplet of time domain dataset values representing the different modes of propagation for each node. A timing check is performed at an end node of the virtual graphs using the quadruplet of time domain dataset values to determine any timing violation within the chip design.

Highly threaded static timer

Broadly speaking, the embodiments of the present invention fill the need for a method of designing semiconductor device chips with reduced power consumption. The embodiments describe methods that are activity-based and are used for power optimization. The embodiments provide methods of selecting instances of a block of a chip to be replaced by either gate-length bias (GBIAS) cells or high-threshold-voltage (HVT) cells with minimal impact (little or no impact) on the overall performance of the chip. Only instances not on the critical path(s) are selected. Instances with low activities and high slack thresholds are chosen to be replaced by either GBIAS cells or HVT cells. By replacing the instances with low activities and high slack threshold, the performance impact on the block and chip is minimized. The replacement results in net power reduction, which is critical to advanced device technologies.

Leakage power optimization considering gate input activity and timing slack

A method and apparatus for executing multithreaded algorithm to provide static timing analysis of a chip design includes analyzing a chip design to identify various components and nodes associated with the components. A node tree is built with a plurality of nodes. The node tree identifies groups of nodes that are available in different levels. A size of node grouping for a current level is determined by looking up the node tree. Testing data for parallel processing of different size of node groupings using varied thread counts is compiled. An optimum thread count for the current level based on the size of node grouping in the node tree is identified from compiled testing data. Dynamic parallel processing of nodes in the current level is performed using the number of threads identified by the optimum thread count. An acceptable design of the chip is determined by the dynamic parallel processing.

Multithreaded static timing analysis

Broadly speaking, a method is provided for evaluating nets in a crosstalk noise analysis. More specifically, a method is provided for evaluating timing window overlap between a pair of nets. The method includes selecting one timing window from each net of the pair of nets for analysis. The method further includes analyzing characteristics of the timing windows selected from the pair of nets to identify a timing window overlap presence, wherein the timing window overlap presence can exist between any two timing windows associated with each net of the pair of nets, respectively.

Method for evaluating nets in crosstalk noise analysis

Given two synchronous clocks which transact data from a transmitter element to a receiver element which are analyzed by static timing, the interval between the transmitting data launch clock edge and the receiving capture clock edge is adjusted from the clock waveforms provided in order to represent the worst case slack situation between these two clocks over time. The amount of this adjustment is determined without unrolling (enumerating) all possible launch/capture pairs for these clocks. The greatest common divisor (GCD) of a transmit clock frequency and a receive clock frequency is determined. An effective phase shift is determined by performing a MOD operation between the GCD and an offset of the transmitter and receiver clocks. An algorithm uses the GCD and effective phase shift to determine a launch/capture interval that corresponds to a critical slack condition.

Determining cycle adjustments for static timing analysis of multifrequency circuits

A method of estimating delay which includes configuring a first signal path and second signal path such that the first signal path is a victim signal path and the second signal path is an aggressor signal path, calculating Miller factors between the victim signal path and the aggressor signal path for a plurality of edge combinations between a victim signal edge and an aggressor signal edge, and using the Miller factors to perform a timing analysis.

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Morgan Hill, CA, United States of America

Robert E Mains