tag: timing

Can Your ATPG Do This? Cut Defects Escaping Detection With ML
By Alex Burlak - 10 Jun, 2025 - Comments: 0

Chipmakers worldwide consider Automatic Test Pattern Generation (ATPG) their go-to method for achieving high test coverage in production. ATPG generates test patterns designed to detect faults in the silicon and ensures they are applied effectively using the chip’s Design-for-Test (DFT) infrastructure. This combination enhances fault detection while optimizing test efficiency. These patter... » read more

Static Timing Analysis: Cell Delay Vs. Cell Drive Strength
By Pamula Sai Srinivas - 13 Mar, 2025 - Comments: 0

Have you ever wondered how a predator succeeds or its prey escapes in the jungle? It’s the breathtaking speed and agility of the predator (say, a leopard) as it chases prey (say, a deer). The VLSI circuit operation is very similar. If the driving cell is strong, it takes less delay and changes the output quicker than a weaker driver, which produces a sluggish response and takes longer t... » read more

Fast Monte Carlo Simulations For Timing Variation Analysis
By Vinod Khera - 30 Jan, 2025 - Comments: 0

Process variations and device mismatches profoundly affect the latest ultra-small geometrical processes. Complexity creates additional factors that impact device manufacturing variability, which in turn impact overall yield. Monte Carlo (MC) simulations use repeated random sampling to relate process variations to circuit performance and functionality, thus determining how they impact yield. How... » read more

From Reaction To Prevention In Data Center RAS
By Noam Brousard - 15 Oct, 2024 - Comments: 0

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI), cloud services, and IoT has fueled the rapid expansion of hyperscale data centers. These massive facilities house thousands of servers, all working to support an increasingly digital world. But as the scale of data centers grows, so too does the need for reliable and high-performance semiconductors. Semiconductor failures and inconsistencies can cause s... » read more

Rapid Timing Constraints Signoff With Automated Constraint Management
By Rimpy Chugh - 28 Mar, 2024 - Comments: 0

Signoff of a system on chip (SoC) or IP design has multiple aspects, but often timing closure is the most challenging. Early use of a static timing analysis (STA) tool is clearly important, and such a tool must be tied closely into the logic synthesis process to make it more likely that the generated gate-level netlist will meet the desired timing. Power, performance, and area (PPA) goals can o... » read more

Why Using Commercial Chiplets Is So Difficult
By Ed Sperling - 18 Oct, 2023 - Comments: 0

Experts at the Table: Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss use cases and challenges for commercial chiplets with Saif Alam, vice president of engineering at Movellus; Tony Mastroianni, advanced packaging solutions director at Siemens Digital Industries Software; Mark Kuemerle, vice president of technology at Marvell; and Craig Bishop, CTO at Deca Technologies. What follows are excerpts... » read more

Using Virtual Metal Fill To Predict The Impact Of High Level Nets
By Vamsi Thatha - 14 Sep, 2023 - Comments: 0

A recent blog post discussed the use of virtual metal fill (VMF) to predict the effects of real metal fill when performing RC extraction on a chip layout. This enables static timing analysis (STA) closely correlated with final post-fill results without incurring the time to perform the actual metal fill insertion during the layout-STA loop. VMF is fast enough to be run in every iteration of thi... » read more

Demand For Timing Innovation Grows
By Jeff Goldman - 19 Jul, 2023 - Comments: 0

The semiconductor industry has begun exploring a range of timing options as demand for increased performance and more features exceeds the ability to design chips using the same techniques and technology that have been relied on for decades. Like many elements in computing, timing is a hierarchy or stack. It includes everything from partitioning AI computations into multiple parts and assemb... » read more

Mitigating Voltage Droop
By Aakash Jani - 13 Jun, 2023 - Comments: 0

Voltage droop, also known as IR drop, is a phenomenon that occurs when the current in the power delivery network abruptly changes due to workload fluctuations. This can lead to supply voltage drops across system-on-chips (SoCs) which can cause severe performance degradation, limit their energy efficiency, and in extreme cases can cause catastrophic timing failures. To avoid these issues, conven... » read more

Using Virtual Metal Fill To Solve Real Design Problems
By Vamsi Thatha - 08 Jun, 2023 - Comments: 0

People learning about semiconductor manufacturing might well be confused by the concept of metal fill. It seems perfectly intuitive that laying out a complex chip will result in some regions with fewer transistors and metal interconnect than others. It makes sense that there will be areas that are mostly empty. So why spend money on more complicated masks and on extra metal just to fill those e... » read more

← Older posts

  • Sponsors

About

Navigation

Connect With Us

Copyright ©2013-2025 SMG   |  Terms of Service  |  Privacy Policy