| 摘要 |
A method, system, and computer program product include electronic design automation (EDA) tools used with standard CMOS processes to design and produce radiation-hardened (rad-hard) integrated circuits (ICs) having a predictable level of radiation hardness while maintaining a desired level of performance and tracking circuit area. The tools include rad-hard design rule checking (DRC) decks, rad-hard SPICE models, and rad-hard cell libraries. A rad-hard parasitic components extraction process makes use of rad-hard DRC rules to locate occurrences of parasitic devices, calculate their effects on circuit performance, and return this information to layout and circuit simulation tools. Changes to the layout are suggested and implemented with varying degrees of automation. Some of these tools can be provided as components of a rad-hard process design kit (PDK). They can be used in conjunction with commercial EDA tools to facilitate the incorporation of rad-hard features into new or existing IC designs. |
| 主权项 |
1. A computer-implemented method for designing a radiation-hardened integrated circuit comprising the steps of:
entering a schematic of a circuit, said circuit comprising at least a portion of an integrated circuit, and a list of requirements comprising at least a radiation-hardness requirement, said radiation-hardness requirement comprising a requirement that the circuit meet a predetermined specification upon exposure to ionizing radiation at a specified first Total Ionizing Dose (TID) level; performing an initial layout of the circuit; assessing, using a computing system, a rad-hard performance of the circuit, said rad-hard performance characterized by a second TID level, upon exposure to which the circuit, if fabricated as laid out, will fail to meet the predetermined specification; suggesting a change to the layout if the second TID level determined in assessing the rad-hard performance does not meet or exceed the first TID level specified in the radiation-hardness requirement; and changing the layout in response to the suggested change, whereby a resulting design for the circuit is produced that, if fabricated, will meet the radiation-hardness requirement. |
