IP Library Granted Patent US 6,981,230
Granted Patent B1
US 6,981,230 · App. 10/209,081 · Granted Dec 27, 2005

On-chip power-ground inductance modeling using effective self-loop-inductance

Assignee: Apache Design Solutions, Inc.
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 6,981,230
App. No.
10/209,081
Granted
Dec 27, 2005
Kind
B1
Abstract

An efficient inductance modeling approach for on-chip power-ground wires using their effective self-loop-inductances is disclosed. Instead of extracting the inductive coupling between every two parallel wires and putting this huge number inductance elements into circuit simulation, this technique determines the effective self-loop-inductance for each power or ground wire segment and only generates a circuit with these effective self-inductors for simulation. This approach greatly reduces the circuit size and makes the full-chip power-ground simulation with the consideration of inductance feasible.

Claims (60)

1. A method comprising:

calculating effective self loop inductance for on-chip power wire segments and on-chip ground wire segments in an integrated circuit (IC) design, wherein calculating effective self-loop inductance is performed under an assumption that a current loop exists from each of the power or ground wire segments to its nearest respective ground or power wire segments with a total cross-sectional area of wire segments in the current loop equal to 1–5 times cross-sectional area of one or more of its nearest wire segments;

modeling each of the wire segments in the IC design using a self-inductor representing its calculated self-loop inductance of said each wire segment; and

simulating noise of the IC design using the self-loop inductors to represent associated wire segments.

2. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the noise comprises Delta-I noise.

3. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the design is for a wire-bumped chip.

4. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the design is for a periphery-bumped chip.

5. A method comprising:

calculating effective self loop inductance for on-chip power wire segments and on-chip ground wire segments in an integrated circuit (IC) design, wherein calculating effective self-loop inductance is performed under an assumption that a current loop exists from each of the power or ground wire segments to its nearest respective ground or power plane or mesh at a package specified in the IC design with a total cross-sectional area of wire segments in the current loop equal to 0.2–2 times cross-sectional area of the one or more of its nearest wire segments;

modeling each of the wire segments in the IC design using a self-inductor representing its calculated self-loop inductance of said each wire segment; and

simulating noise of the IC design using the self-loop inductors to represent associated wire segments.

6. The method defined in claim 5 wherein the IC design is for an area-bumped chip.

7. The method defined in claim 5 wherein the IC design is for an C4 chip.

8. A method comprising:

calculating effective self loop inductance for on-chip power wire segments and on-chip ground wire segments in an integrated circuit (IC) design;

modeling each of the wire segments in the IC design using a self-inductor representing its calculated self-loop inductance of said each wire segment;

simulating noise of the IC design using the self-loop inductors to represent associated wire segments;

partitioning at least one of the power or ground wire segments into a plurality of sub- segments;

calculating effective self-loop inductance for each of the plurality of sub-segments; and

modeling the at least one wire segment via a serial combination of the calculated effective self-loop inductances of the plurality of sub-segments.

9. An apparatus comprising:

means for calculating effective self loop inductance for on-chip power and ground wire segments in an integrated circuit (IC) design, wherein means for calculating effective self-loop inductance is performed under an assumption that a current loop exists from each of the power or ground wire segments to its nearest respective ground or power wire segments specified in the IC design with a total cross-sectional area of wire segments in the current loop equal to 1–5 times cross-sectional area of one or more of its nearest wire segments;

means for modeling each of the wire segments in the IC design using a self-inductor representing its calculated self-loop inductance of said each wire segment; and

means for simulating noise of the IC design using the self-loop inductors to represent associated wire segments.

10. The apparatus defined in claim 9 wherein the noise comprises Delta-I noise.

11. The apparatus defined in claim 9 wherein the design is for a wire-bumped chip.

12. The apparatus defined in claim 9 wherein the design is for a periphery-bumped chip.

13. An apparatus comprising:

means for calculating effective self loop inductance for on-chip power and ground wire segments in an integrated circuit (IC) design, wherein means for calculating effective self-loop inductance is performed under an assumption that a current loop exists from each of the power or ground wire segments to its nearest respective ground or power planes or mesh at a package specified in the IC design with a total cross-sectional area of wire segments in the current loop equal to 02–2 times cross-sectional area of its nearest wire segments;

means for modeling each of the wire segments in the IC design using a self-inductor representing its calculated self-loop inductance of said each wire segment; and

means for simulating noise of the IC design using the self-loop inductors to represent associated wire segments.

14. The apparatus defined in claim 13 wherein the IC design is for an area-bumped chip.

15. The apparatus defined in claim 13 wherein the IC design is for an C4 chip.

16. An apparatus comprising:

means for calculating effective self loop inductance for on-chip power and ground wire segments in an integrated circuit (IC) design;

means for modeling each of the wire segments in the IC design using a self-inductor representing its calculated self-loop inductance of said each wire segment;

means for simulating noise of the IC design using the self-loop inductors to represent associated wire segments;

means for partitioning at least one of the wire segments into a plurality of sub-segments;

means for calculating effective self-loop inductance for each of the plurality of sub- segments; and

means for modeling the at least one wire segment via a serial combination of the calculated effective self-loop inductances of the plurality of sub-segments.

17. An article of manufacture comprising a computer readable medium having computer readable code stored thereon, which, when executed by a system, causes the system to:

calculate effective self loop inductance for on-chip power and ground wire segments in an integrated circuit (IC) design, wherein calculating effective self-loop inductance is performed under an assumption that a current loop exists from each of the power or ground wire segments to its nearest respective ground or power wire segments specified in the IC design with a total cross-sectional area of wire segments in the current loop equal to 1-5 times cross-sectional area of one or more of its nearest wire segments;

model each of the wire segments in the IC design using a self-inductor representing its calculated self-loop inductance of said each wire segment; and

simulate noise of the IC design using the self-loop inductors to represent associated wire segments.

18. The article defined in claim 17 wherein the noise comprises Delta-I noise.

19. The article defined in claim 17 wherein the design is for a wire-bumped chip.

20. The article defined in claim 17 wherein the design is for a periphery-bumped chip.

21. An article of manufacture comprising a computer readable medium having computer readable code stored thereon, which, when executed by a system, causes the system to:

calculate effective self loop inductance for on-chip power and ground wire segments in an integrated circuit (IC) design, wherein calculating effective self-loop inductance is performed under an assumption that a current loop exists from each of the power or ground wire segments to its nearest respective ground or power planes or mesh at a package specified in the IC design with a total cross-sectional area of wire segments in the current loop equal to 0.2–2 times cross-sectional area of the one or more of its nearest wire segments;

model each of the wire segments in the IC design using a self-inductor representing its calculated self-loop inductance of said each wire segment; and

simulate noise of the IC design using the self-loop inductors to represent associated wire segments.

22. The article defined in claim 21 wherein the IC design is for an area-bumped chip.

23. The article defined in claim 21 wherein the IC design is for an C4 chip.

24. An article of manufacture comprising a computer readable medium having computer readable code stored thereon, which, when executed by a system, causes the system to:

calculate effective self loop inductance for on-chip power and ground wire segments in an integrated circuit (IC) design;

model each of the wire segments in the IC design using a self-inductor representing its calculated self-loop inductance of said each wire segment;

simulate noise of the IC design using the self-loop inductors to represent associated wire segments;

partition at least one of the wire segments into a plurality of sub-segments;

calculate effective self-loop inductance for each of the plurality of sub-segments; and

model the at least one wire segment via a serial combination of the calculated effective self-loop inductances of the plurality of sub-segments.

Assignments (3)
MERGER Recorded Oct 2, 2020
From: APACHE DESIGN, INC.
To: ANSYS, INC.
Reel/Frame 053965/0241 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Sep 30, 2020
From: APACHE DESIGN SOLUTIONS, INC
To: APACHE DESIGN, INC.
Reel/Frame 053939/0385 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 22, 2002
From: LIN, SHEN; CHANG, NORMAN; XIE, WEIZE; CHOU, RICHARD
To: APACHE DESIGN SOLUTIONS, INC., A DELAWARE CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 013406/0010 →