Method for simulating power voltage distribution of semiconductor integrated circuit and simulation program

• US 7,367,000 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2005
• Issued: 04/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Socionext Inc.
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Suzuki, Masahiro, Wada, Kenji, Fujine, Eiji, Kurihara, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): WHITMORE, STACY
• Application Number:
  US11/305,184
• Publication Number:
  US 20070044047A1
• Time in Patent Office: 862 Days
• Field of Search: 716/4, 716/8, 703/14
• US Class Current: 716/115
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/367 Design verification, e.g. using simulation, simulation program with integrated circuit emphasis [SPICE], direct methods or relaxation methods

Abstract

The invention has an object to provide a method for simulating power voltage distribution of a semiconductor integrated circuit, by which it is possible to attempt to shorten the time required for preparing a power unit model and it is possible to carry out a highly accurate simulation with uneven distribution of a floor plan taken into account. In Step S1, design information (Core size CS, core ring width CW, block shape BS, macro shape MS, block current BI, macro current MI, etc.) is inputted into a simulator. In Step S2, information regarding a floor plan (Block position BP, macro position MP, power I/O position IOP) is inputted into the simulator by a designer. In Step S3, the power unit management table is initialized, and resistance modeling and current source modeling are also carried out. In Step S5 (FIG. 1), the static IR drop is calculated based on the power unit management table CT obtained in Step S4.

Claims

1. A method for simulating a power voltage distribution, comprising the steps of:

dividing a layout area of a semiconductor integrated circuit into a plurality of division units and acquiring power occupancy ratio information that expresses a power wiring density in the division units;

acquiring power I/O position information, which expresses at least one position to which power is fed in the layout area;

obtaining a resistance value of a model resistor, which expresses the resistance value of power wiring between the division units adjacent to each other, in response to a predetermined sheet resistance value of the power wiring and the power occupancy ratio information; and

defining a division unit at least a part of which overlaps a predetermined area disposed by at least one so that the predetermined area occupies at least a part of the layout area as a division unit belonging to the predetermined area, and uniformly allotting a consumption current consumed in the predetermined area to the division units belonging to the predetermined area.

2. The method for simulating a power voltage distribution according to claim 1, comprising the steps of:

acquiring core size information that expresses the size of the core area, in which circuits pertaining to main actions are disposed, in the layout area; and

acquiring information of chip total current, which is a current consumed in the entire semiconductor integrated circuit, as a consumption current consumed in the predetermined area;

wherein the core area is employed as the predetermined area;

the number of division units of the core area, which is the total number of the division units occupying the core area, is obtained by dividing the core size information by information of the predetermined division unit size expressing the size of the division units; and

the obtained number of division units of the core area is used as the number of the division units belonging to the predetermined area.

5. The method for simulating a power voltage distribution according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

acquiring core ring width information expressing the width of a core ring which is power wiring annularly disposed in the surrounding of a core area, in which circuits pertaining to main actions are disposed, in the layout area;

wherein a resistance value of the model resistor of the division units belonging to the core ring is obtained based on the sheet resistance value and the core ring width information.

6. The method for simulating a power voltage distribution according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

acquiring power I/O resistance information expressing the resistance value held by power I/O cells being at least one or more cells for feeding power to the layout area.

7. The method for simulating a power voltage distribution according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

acquiring package resistance information expressing a resistance value existing in a connection channel between at least one or more power I/O cells being cells for feeding power to the layout area and a peripheral connection terminal of a package of the semiconductor integrated circuit.

8. The method for simulating a power voltage distribution according to claim 1, which is a method for simulating power voltage, by which the division units prepared for each of the different types of power are connected by an internal circuit model, and a dynamic voltage distribution of a semiconductor integrated circuit is obtained, the same method comprising the steps of:

acquiring decoupling capacitance information expressing the decoupling capacitance equipped in the predetermined area;

wherein the decoupling capacitance information is uniformly allotted to the division units belonging to the predetermined area; and

the resistance value of power wiring between the division units adjacent to each other is expressed by at least one or more model inductor, and the inductance value of the model inductor is obtained based on the predetermined sheet inductance value of the power wiring and the power occupancy ratio information thereof.

9. The method for simulating a power voltage distribution according to claim 8, comprising the steps of:

acquiring core size information that expresses the size of the core area, in which circuits pertaining to main actions are disposed, in the layout area; and

acquiring information of chip total current, which is a current consumed in the entire semiconductor integrated circuit, as a consumption current consumed in the predetermined area;

wherein the core area is employed as the predetermined area;

the number of division units of the core area, which is the total number of the division units occupying the core area, is obtained by dividing the core size information by information of the predetermined division unit size expressing the size of the division units; and

the obtained number of division units of the core area is used as the number of the division units belonging to the predetermined area.

3. A method for simulating a power voltage distribution, which is provided with a plurality of types of circuit aggregates composed of a combination of a plurality of circuits, having the circuit aggregates disposed in a core area, in which circuits pertaining to main actions are disposed, in the layout area, comprising the steps of:

acquiring information of circuit aggregate positions expressing positions of the circuit aggregates disposed in the core area;

acquiring information of circuit aggregate shapes expressing the shapes of the circuit aggregates;

acquiring information of circuit aggregate current amounts expressing a current consumed by the corresponding circuit aggregate in compliance with the type of the circuit aggregate;

acquiring information of chip total current being a current consumed by the entirety of the semiconductor integrated circuit;

calculating an area occupied by circuit aggregates, at which the respective circuit aggregates exist on the core area, based on the information of circuit aggregate positions and the information of circuit aggregate shapes, and extracting the number of the division units belonging to the area occupied by the circuit aggregates for each of the circuit aggregates; and

obtaining a resistance value of the model resistor based on the power occupancy ratio information and the sheet resistance value, which are determined in compliance with a type of the circuit aggregate to which the division units belong;

wherein the consumption current value in the division units belonging to the area occupied by the circuit aggregates is obtained by dividing the current value of the information of the circuit aggregate current amount by the number of the division units belonging to the area occupied by the circuit aggregates; and

the consumption current amount in the division units not belonging to the area occupied by the circuit aggregates is obtained by dividing the remaining value, which is obtained by subtracting the totaled value of the information of the circuit aggregate current amounts for all the circuit aggregates from the chip total current information, by the number of the division units not belonging to any area occupied by the circuit aggregates.

4. The method for simulating a power voltage distribution according to claim 3, wherein the semiconductor integrated circuit includes a multilayered wiring structure having a plurality of wiring layers of the power wiring;

and

the power occupancy ratio information is determined for each of the wiring layers.

10. A program embodied in a computer-readable medium for simulating a power voltage distribution, comprising the steps of:

dividing a layout area of a semiconductor integrated circuit into a plurality of division units and acquiring power occupancy ratio information that expresses a power wiring density in the division units;

acquiring power I/O position information, which expresses at least one position to which power is fed in the layout area;

obtaining a resistance value of a model resistor, which expresses the resistance value of power wiring between the division units adjacent to each other, in response to a predetermined sheet resistance value of the power wiring and the power occupancy ratio information;

defining a division unit at least a part of which overlaps a predetermined area disposed by at least one so that the predetermined area occupies at least a part of the layout area as a division unit belonging to the predetermined area, and uniformly allotting a consumption current consumed in the predetermined area to the division units belonging to the predetermined area.