Realtek Semiconductor Inc.

Yun-Chih Chang

Shu-Yi Kao

Chien-Cheng Liu

Li-Yi Lin

I-Ching Tsai

Chih-Wei Lin

Hsin-Wei Pan

Yun-Ru Wu

Shih-Chih Liu

En-Cheng Liu

Chan-Wei Hsu

Tien-Kuo Lin

An integrated circuit apparatus and a power distribution network thereof are provided. The power distribution network includes a top wiring layer, a bottom wiring layer, and a first conductive path. The top wiring layer includes a first top trace and a second top trace extending along a first direction. The bottom wiring layer includes a first bottom trace extending along a second direction. The first bottom trace has an electric potential equal to that of the first top trace, but different from that of the second top trace. The first conductive path connected between the first top and bottom traces includes a first upper conductive structure and a first lower conductive structure that are located directly under the first top trace and the second top trace, respectively. A signal wire preselected region is defined between the first upper conductive structure and the first bottom trace.

Integrated circuit apparatus and power distribution network thereof

A method for performing power mesh optimization with the aid of additional wires and an associated apparatus are provided. The method includes: reading a clock cell definition file to obtain respective basic information of a plurality of clock cells in a circuit design; and according to the respective basic information of the plurality of clock cells, executing a power mesh optimization procedure, including: regarding any type of clock cells in multiple types of clock cells within the plurality of clock cells, classifying the clock cells into a plurality of sub-types according to respective sizes of the type of clock cells; and performing power mesh enhancement on respective clock cells of a set of sub-types within the plurality of sub-types, to add a set of additional wires crossing a set of original wires in an original power mesh at each clock cell of any sub-type of the set of sub-types.

Method and apparatus for performing power mesh optimization with aid of additional wires

Disclosed is an integrated circuit (IC) layout method capable of reducing an IR drop as a result of an IC layout process. The method includes the following steps: performing the IC layout process and obtaining an original IC layout; performing an IR drop analysis on the original IC layout and identifying an IR drop hot zone; determining a circuit density limit of the IR drop hot zone; and performing the IC layout process again according to the circuit density limit and obtaining an updated IC layout.

Method for integrated circuit layout

An IC design method is provided that includes steps outlined below. A clock tree structure is retrieved from an IC design file. A branch level number of a branch that each of clock units in the clock tree structure locates is determined. A common branch level number of a common branch that closest to each two of the flip-flops is determined. A scan chain structure is retrieved from the IC design file. A wire distance and a clock skew of each two of the flip-flops are determined. A cost is calculated according to the common branch number, the wire distance and the clock skew. An initial point and a terminal point of the flip-flops in the scan chain structure are determined to further calculate a path having a minimum cost. The order of the scan chain structure of the IC design file is updated.

Integrated circuit design method and non-transitory computer readable medium thereof

A planning method for power metal lines is provided. The planning method includes selecting a block to plan, the block including a first metal layer and a second metal layer therebelow. The first metal layer includes a plurality of first metal lines along a first direction and the second metal layer includes a plurality of second metal lines along a second direction. The block includes a length in the first direction and a width in the second direction. According to a ratio of the length and the width of the block, a line width adjustment procedure is performed to adjust a first line width of each of the first metal lines and a second line width of each of the second metal lines, so that routing congestion can be avoided without affecting the IR drop.

Planning method for power metal lines

A method of using a simulation software to generate a circuit layout, the method comprising: (A) determining a plurality of blocks on a circuit board, wherein each block of the plurality of blocks includes an operating space and a reserved space; (B) determining a size of the reserved space of each block of the plurality of blocks according to at least one specific condition;(C) determining whether to adjust the size of the reserved space of each block of the plurality of blocks according to at least one determining condition; and (D) when it is determined not to adjust the size of the reserved space in step (C), generating the circuit layout according to the size of the reserved space of each block of the plurality of blocks determined in step (B).

Method of using simulation software to generate circuit layout

A circuit structure is electrically connected to a power source. The circuit structure includes a first circuit module and a second circuit module. The first circuit module includes a first module power switch and a plurality of circuits. The first module power switch is electrically connected to the power source. The first circuit module has a first module current. The second circuit module includes a second module power switch and a plurality of circuits. The second power switch is electrically connected to the power source. The second circuit module has a second module current. A turn-on order of the first module power switch and the second power switch is determined based on the first module current and the second module current.

Circuit structure and power-on method thereof

The invention discloses a clock tree synthesis method including steps of: determining a driving strength of a clock cell; determining a reserved space corresponding to the clock cell according to the driving strength; generating the clock cell and the reserved space, wherein the reserved space is adjacent to the clock cell; setting a decoupling capacitor filler cell in the reserved space, wherein the area and/or capacitance of the decoupling capacitor filler cell are/is associated with the driving strength; and fixing the attribute(s) of the clock cell and the attribute(s) of the decoupling capacitor filler cell.

Growing community of inventors

Hsinchu County, Taiwan

Yun-Chih Chang