For accurate timing analysis of integrated digital circuits, the consideration of
manufacturing variations and waveform shapes is becoming ever more important for future process generations.
Commercially available tools apply simplifications to reduce complexity which induces inaccuracies. An accurate reference is needed to evaluate existing tools before using them for productive designs. For most cases Monte Carlo simulation is infeasible due to excessive runtime.
This work describes a highly accurate reference methodology for statistical timing analysis. It is based on successive SPICE simulations of single stages and propagates the full nominal waveform together with the waveform variations through a given path. Thus, the shape of the waveform, the entire interconnect structure, and the dynamic load formed by the gates in the fanout are considered.
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For accurate timing analysis of integrated digital circuits, the consideration of
manufacturing variations and waveform shapes is becoming ever more important for future process generations.
Commercially available tools apply simplifications to reduce complexity which induces inaccuracies. An accurate reference is needed to evaluate existing tools before using them for productive designs. For most cases Monte Carlo simulation is infeasible due to excessive runtime.
This work describes a highl...
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