Claims
- 1. A method for analyzing propagation of noise through an integrated circuit, comprising:
obtaining an input noise signal to be applied to a cell within the integrated circuit; looking up parameters specifying how noise affects the cell; and using the parameters to determine how the input noise signal affects the cell.
- 2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining how the input noise signal affects the cell involves determining if the input noise signal will cause the cell to fail.
- 3. The method of claim 2, wherein looking up the parameters involves looking up a representation of a noise immunity curve for the cell.
- 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the representation of the noise immunity curve comprises equation coefficients that represent the noise immunity curve.
- 5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining how the input noise signal affects the cell involves determining a propagated noise signal that emanates from the cell.
- 6. The method of claim 5,
wherein the input noise signal is modeled as an input glitch; and wherein the parameters for a given cell relate input glitch height, input glitch width and output load to output glitch height and output glitch width.
- 7. The method of claim 5,
wherein the input noise signal is modeled as an input glitch; and wherein the parameters for a given cell relate input glitch height, input glitch width, time-to-peak of the input glitch and output load to output glitch height, output glitch width and time-to-peak of the output glitch.
- 8. The method of claim 5, further comprising determining if the propagated noise signal will cause a downstream cell to fail.
- 9. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the input noise signal to be applied to the cell involves determining a coupling glitch on a victim net caused by a transition on a neighboring aggressor net.
- 10. The method of claim 9, wherein obtaining the input noise signal to be applied to the cell involves combining the coupling glitch with a propagated noise signal received from an upstream cell.
- 11. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method for analyzing propagation of noise through an integrated circuit, the method comprising:
obtaining an input noise signal to be applied to a cell within the integrated circuit; looking up parameters specifying how noise affects the cell; and using the parameters to determine how the input noise signal affects the cell.
- 12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein determining how the input noise signal affects the cell involves determining if the input noise signal will cause the cell to fail.
- 13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein looking up the parameters involves looking up a representation of a noise immunity curve for the cell.
- 14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the representation of the noise immunity curve comprises equation coefficients that represent the noise immunity curve.
- 15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein determining how the input noise signal affects the cell involves determining a propagated noise signal that emanates from the cell.
- 16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15,
wherein the input noise signal is modeled as an input glitch; and wherein the parameters for a given cell relate input glitch height, input glitch width and output load to output glitch height and output glitch width.
- 17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15,
wherein the input noise signal is modeled as an input glitch; and wherein the parameters for a given cell relate input glitch height, input glitch width, time-to-peak of the input glitch and output load to output glitch height, output glitch width and time-to-peak of the output glitch.
- 18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises determining if the propagated noise signal will cause a downstream cell to fail.
- 19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein obtaining the input noise signal to be applied to the cell involves determining a coupling glitch on a victim net caused by a transition on a neighboring aggressor net.
- 20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein obtaining the input noise signal to be applied to the cell involves combining the coupling glitch with a propagated noise signal received from an upstream cell.
- 21. An apparatus that analyzes propagation of noise through an integrated circuit, comprising:
an input generator configured to obtain an input noise signal to be applied to a cell within the integrated circuit; a lookup mechanism configured to look up parameters specifying how noise affects the cell; and an analysis mechanism configured to use the parameters to determine how the input noise signal affects the cell.
- 22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the analysis mechanism is configured to determine if the input noise signal will cause the cell to fail.
- 23. The apparatus of claim 22,
wherein the lookup mechanism configured to look up a representation of a noise immunity curve for the cell; and wherein the analysis mechanism is configured to use the representation to determine if the input noise signal will produce a functional failure in the cell.
- 24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the representation of the noise immunity curve comprises equation coefficients that represent the noise immunity curve.
- 25. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the analysis mechanism is configured to determine a propagated noise signal that emanates from the cell.
- 26. The apparatus of claim 25,
wherein the input noise signal is modeled as an input glitch; and wherein the parameters for a given cell relate input glitch height, input glitch width and output load to output glitch height and output glitch width.
- 27. The apparatus of claim 25,
wherein the input noise signal is modeled as an input glitch; and wherein the parameters for a given cell relate input glitch height, input glitch width, time-to-peak of the input glitch and output load to output glitch height, output glitch width and time-to-peak of the output glitch.
- 28. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the analysis mechanism is additionally configured to determine if the propagated noise signal will cause a downstream cell to fail.
- 29. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein while obtaining the input noise signal to be applied to the cell, the input generator is configured to determine a coupling glitch on a victim net caused by a transition on a neighboring aggressor net.
- 30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein while obtaining the input noise signal to be applied to the cell, the input generator is configured to combine the coupling glitch with a propagated noise signal received from an upstream cell.
- 31. A means for analyzing propagation of noise through an integrated circuit, comprising:
an input means for obtaining an input noise signal to be applied to a cell within the integrated circuit; and a lookup means for looking up parameters specifying how noise affects the cell; and an analysis means configured to use the parameters to determine how the input noise signal affects the cell.
RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] The subject matter of this application is related to the subject matter in a co-pending non-provisional application by the same inventors as the instant application and filed on the same day as the instant application entitled, “Method and Apparatus for Characterizing the Propagation of Noise through a Cell within an Integrated Circuit,” having serial number TO BE ASSIGNED, and filing date TO BE ASSIGNED (Attorney Docket No. SNPS-0501).