The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 26, 2011
Filed:
Feb. 22, 2008
Christopher J. Berry, Hudson, NY (US);
Lawrence David Curley, Round Rock, TX (US);
Patrick James Meaney, Poughkeepsie, NY (US);
Diana Lynn Orf, Poughkeepsie, NY (US);
Christopher J. Berry, Hudson, NY (US);
Lawrence David Curley, Round Rock, TX (US);
Patrick James Meaney, Poughkeepsie, NY (US);
Diana Lynn Orf, Poughkeepsie, NY (US);
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US);
Abstract
A method for optimizing scan chains in an integrated circuit that has multiple levels of hierarchy addresses unlimited chains and stumps and separately all other chains and stumps. Unlimited chains and stumps are optimized by dividing an area encompassed by the chains and by a start point and an end point of the stump into a grid comprised of a plurality of grid boxes, and determining a grid box to grid box connectivity route to access all of the grid boxes between the start point and the end point by means of a computer running a routing algorithm. All other chains and stumps are optimized randomly assigning to a stump a chain that can be physically reached by that stump and adding an additional chain to that stump based on the number of latches in the additional chain, its physical location, and the number of latches already assigned.