DESIGN TOOL APPARATUS, METHOD AND COMPUTER PROGRAM FOR DESIGNING AN INTEGRATED CIRCUIT

摘要

An integrated circuit design tool apparatus includes a processing resource configured to support a circuit simulator, a circuit sensitivity optimiser and a circuit sensitivity calculator. The circuit sensitivity optimiser is adapted to communicate to the circuit simulator a first dynamic list of selected devices of the circuit; and a second dynamic list of selected process parameters associated with the selected devices of the first dynamic list. The circuit simulator is configured to communicate to the circuit sensitivity calculator, a performance metrics of the circuit in response thereto. The circuit sensitivity calculator is configured to determine one sensitivity coefficient for each device of the first dynamic list in response thereto. The circuit sensitivity calculator is further configured to determine and communicate to the circuit sensitivity optimiser a variance of the performance metrics and also adapted to gradually determine whether or not to further communicate with the circuit simulator.

主权项

1. A design tool apparatus for designing an integrated circuit for improving circuit sensitivity calculations of the integrated circuit, the apparatus comprising:
a processing resource configured to support a circuit sensitivity optimiser, a circuit sensitivity calculator, and a circuit simulator configured to communicate with the circuit sensitivity optimiser and the circuit sensitivity calculator, wherein: the circuit sensitivity optimiser is configured to communicate to the circuit simulator: a first dynamic list of one or more devices selected out of a plurality of devices of the circuit and a second dynamic list of one or more process parameters selected out of a plurality of process parameters, and associated with the one or more selected devices of the first dynamic list; the circuit simulator is configured to communicate to the circuit sensitivity calculator at least one performance metric (f) associated to the circuit in response to the reception of the first dynamic list and of the second dynamic list; the circuit sensitivity calculator is configured to determine at least one sensitivity coefficient (Sif) for each of the devices of the first dynamic list in response to the reception of the performance metric from the circuit simulator, said sensitivity coefficient of a given device corresponding to a deviation of the performance metrics due to a variation in one or more values of the process parameters associated with the manufacturing process for said device; the circuit sensitivity calculator is further configured to determine and communicate to the circuit sensitivity optimiser a variance (σ2) of the performance metrics with respect to the sensitivity coefficients; and, based on the variance of the performance metrics, the circuit sensitivity optimiser is further configured to determine whether or not to continue communicating with the circuit simulator.