Incentia Design Systems, Inc.

Steve C Huang

Ihao Chen

Yong Fan

Method and system for providing a computer implemented process of performing design for testability analysis and synthesis in an integrated circuit design includes partitioning each logic block in an integrated circuit design based on one or more boundaries of multi-cycle initial setup sequence, excluding one or more partitioned logic blocks with multi-cycle initial setup sequence from valid candidate blocks, selecting a constraint setting set, extracting a subset of constraint settings from the selected constraint setting set, applying the extracted subset of constraint settings to the integrated circuit design, performing design for testability analysis and synthesis on the valid candidate blocks, performing scan cell replacement. The scan cell replacement may include performing class selection from a cell library and a gate-level netlist based on affinity between cells, determining a target characterization, such as timing, power, area, for example, for the scan cell replacement, and replacing one or more cells with a corresponding one or more scan cells having the closest target characteristics.

Method and system for providing fast design for testability prototyping in integrated circuit designs

For use with a design database and a timing database, a computer implemented process for electronic design automation comprising: receiving a netlist that includes cells interconnected by circuit paths, wherein a plurality of the cells are scan cells connected in at least one scan chain; ordering the scan cells according to a prescribed scan cell ordering rule so as to produce a plurality of ordering relationships among scan cells; assigning respective weights from a first category of one or more weights to respective prescribed scan cell order relationships among scan cells of the netlist; assigning respective weights from a second category of one or more weights to prescribed circuit path relationships among cells of the netlist; and determining a physical placement of the cells of the netlist, including the scan cells, using a cost function that places the cells according to the assigned weights.

Timing based scan chain implementation in an IC design

A computer implemented method is provided for deriving gated clock circuitry in an integrated circuit design, the method comprising: identifying a sequential element associated with a feedback loop in the design; producing a feedback loop signature associated with the feedback loop; wherein the signature includes an indication of feedback element instance type for each feedback element instance in the feedback loop, feedback position at each instance of a feedback element type in the feedback loop and a control signal for each instance of a feedback element type in the feedback loop; evaluating the feedback loop signature so as to generate associated stimulus logic; generating associated load logic; and inserting the generated stimulus logic to control a clock input to the sequential element; and inserting the generated load logic to provide a data input to the sequential element.

Automatic clock gating insertion in an IC design

A computer implemented process of inserting enhanced scan bypass in relation to a bypassed block in an integrated circuit design comprising: receiving an HDL description of the circuit design; wherein the HDL description includes a port specification HDL instruction that specifies port properties of a bypassed block; wherein the HDL description includes an enhanced bypass HDL instruction that specifies how many scan cells to provide per port of the bypassed block in a scan bypass circuit that bypasses the bypassed block; wherein the bypass HDL instruction includes a user-selectable option of at least zero or one or two scan cells per port; in response to the specification HDL instruction and the enhanced bypass HDL instruction, automatically generating a netlist portion that includes scan a bypass circuit that bypasses the bypassed block and that includes the specified number of scan cells per port.

Growing community of inventors

Saratoga, CA, United States of America

Steve C Huang