Repeater driven routing methodology

1. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising software instructions for performing a method for routing a chip, the method comprising:

forming, using a processor a plurality of nets configured to connect components of the chip, wherein each of the plurality of nets is included in a netlist;

assigning, using the processor, at least one repeater to each of the plurality of nets in the netlist, wherein the repeaters are assigned prior to performing physical routing of the plurality of nets, and wherein assigning the at least one repeater comprises:

determining a maximum routing distance (Lmax) for a routing layer, and

inserting the at least one repeater when a traveling wire distance in the routing layer is less than or equal to the maximum routing distance (Lmax);

inserting the at least one repeater in a corresponding net, wherein the insertion of the at least one repeater divides the corresponding net into at least two subnets; and

performing the physical routing of the plurality of nets by connecting each of the subnets.

2. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 , the method performed by the software instructions further comprising:

placing the plurality of components onto a floor plan of the chip.

3. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the physical routing and repeater insertion is performed by an automated routing software tool.

4. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of nets comprises a buffer tree topology.

5. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of nets comprises a spine structure topology.

6. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 , the method performed by the software instructions further comprising:

performing a global route of the plurality of nets, wherein the at least one repeater is assigned to each of the plurality of nets based on the global route.

7. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the maximum routing distance (Lmax) is a function of a wire width, a wire spacing, and a repeater type.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the maximum routing distance is the maximum distance a wire can travel before a repeater is needed to meet a specific transition time.

9. A computer system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory,

wherein instructions stored on a computer readable medium, when executed by the processor, are configured to:

form a plurality of nets configured to connect components of the chip, wherein each of the plurality of nets is included in a netlist;

assign at least one repeater to each of the plurality of nets in the netlist, wherein the repeaters are assigned prior to performing physical routing of the plurality of nets, wherein assigning at least one repeater to each of the plurality of nets comprises:

determining a maximum routing distance (Lmax) for a routing layer, and

inserting a repeater when a traveling wire distance in the routing layer is less than or equal to the maximum routing distance (Lmax);

insert the at least one repeater in a corresponding net, wherein the insertion of the at least one repeater divides the corresponding net into at least two subnets; and

perform the physical routing of the plurality of nets by connecting each of the subnets.

10. The computer system of claim 9 , wherein the maximum routing distance (Lmax) is a function of a wire width, a wire spacing, and a repeater type.

11. The computer system of claim 9 , wherein the maximum routing distance is the maximum distance a wire can travel before a repeater is needed to meet a specific transition time.