Numerical delay model for a technology library cell type

摘要

Methods and systems for determining a numerical delay model based on one or more discretized delay models are described. A discretized delay model is a delay model in which the delay behavior is represented using a set of discrete data points of delay behavior. A numerical delay model is a delay model that can be used by a numerical solver to optimize a cost function. In general, computing delay using a numerical delay model is significantly faster than computing delay using discretized delay models. This performance improvement is important when optimizing a design for various metrics like timing, area and leakage power, because repeated delay computations are required in circuit optimization approaches.

主权项

1. A method for determining a generic numerical delay model for a library cell type, the method comprising:
receiving a set discretized delay models, wherein each discretized delay model corresponds to a timing arc of a library cell of the library cell type, and wherein each discretized delay model is capable of being represented by a set of points in a multi-dimensional space, the multi-dimensional space including an output loading dimension, an input transition dimension, an output delay dimension, and an output transition dimension; determining a set of specific numerical delay models based on the set of discretized delay models; and determining, by computer, the generic numerical delay model for the library cell type based on at least a subset of specific numerical delay models.