Method and system for estimating capacitive coupling in a hierarchical design

Abstract

A coupling capacitance analysis logic allows the classification of capacitance in a hierarchical electronic design. The coupling capacitance analysis logic analyzes capacitance between signal lines and other signal lines, and analyzes capacitance between signal lines and the substrate on which the circuitry resides, between signal lines and transistor gates, and between signal lines and diffusion regions. Capacitances associated with child blocks within the hierarchical design are first analyzed and then brought up into higher levels of the design without the need to repeat the analysis performed in the lower level. In this manner, a complex hierarchical design may be effectively and efficiently analyzed. Once the design analysis is complete, the logic of the invention determines the amount of coupling capacitance attributable to each signal in the design with respect to each subject signal. Each signal will be analyzed as the subject signal and each signal affecting the subject signal will be a culprit signal. For each subject signal, the weighted average of all culprit signals is determined by multiplying the rise and fall times of each culprit signal by the coupling capacitance attributable to that culprit signal. This is performed for each culprit signal affecting the subject signal. The total is then divided by the total coupling capacitance between the subject signal and all culprit signals, resulting in the weighted average of all culprit signals affecting the subject signal. All signals in the design are analyzed as the subject signal.