Ten Innovative Debugging Techniques – Pre & Post Layout

Ten Innovative Debugging Techniques – Pre & Post Layout
by Pawan Fangaria on 04-21-2014 at 8:00 pm

In a complex world of SoCs with multi-million gates and IPs from several heterogeneous sources, verification of a complete semiconductor design has become extremely difficult, and it’s not enough. In order to ascertain the right intent of the design throughout the design cycle, debugging at various stages of the design cycle… Read More


Customization can add extraordinary power to your tool

Customization can add extraordinary power to your tool
by Pawan Fangaria on 04-16-2014 at 4:30 pm

In EDA arena we often find companies providing customization platforms along with the tools they offer to their customers. I admire such companies because they equip the end users of a tool to extend its functionality as they like according to their environment, thus increasing the designer productivity significantly. And I’m… Read More


What Makes A Designer’s Day? A Bottleneck Solved!

What Makes A Designer’s Day? A Bottleneck Solved!
by Pawan Fangaria on 12-04-2013 at 3:00 pm

In an environment of SoCs with tough targets of multiple functionalities, smallest size, lowest power and fastest performance to achieve within a limited design cycle window in order to meet the rigid time-to-market requirements, any day spent without success becomes very frustrating for a designer. Especially during tape-out… Read More


Robust Reliability Verification: Beyond Traditional Tools and Techniques

Robust Reliability Verification: Beyond Traditional Tools and Techniques
by SStalnaker on 05-31-2013 at 7:10 pm

Robust Reliability Verification: Beyond Traditional Tools
by Matthew Hogan, Mentor Graphics

At all process nodes, countless hours are diligently expended to ensure that our integrated circuit (IC) designs will function in the way we intended, can be manufactured with satisfactory yields, and are delivered in a timely fashion… Read More


Design-to-Silicon Platform Workshops!

Design-to-Silicon Platform Workshops!
by Daniel Nenni on 07-17-2012 at 7:30 pm

Have you seen the latest design rule manuals? At 28nm and 20nm design sign-off is no longer just DRC and LVS. These basic components of physical verification are being augmented by an expansive set of yield analysis and critical feature identification capabilities, as well as layout enhancements, printability, and performance… Read More


Aug 25th in Fremont, CA – Hands on Calibre workshop: DRC, LVS, xRC, ERC, DFM

Aug 25th in Fremont, CA – Hands on Calibre workshop: DRC, LVS, xRC, ERC, DFM
by Daniel Payne on 08-18-2011 at 10:30 am

I’ve blogged about the Calibre family of IC design tools before:

Smart Fill replaced Dummy Fill Approach in a DFM Flow
DRC Wiki
Graphical DRC vs Text-based DRC
Getting Real time Calibre DRC Results with Custom IC Editing
Transistor-level Electrical Rule Checking
Who Needs a 3D Field Solver for IC Design?
Prevention is BetterRead More


New ERC Tools Catch Design Errors

New ERC Tools Catch Design Errors
by glforte on 02-11-2011 at 2:18 pm

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A growing number of reports highlight a class of design errors that is difficult to check using more traditional methods, and can potentially affect a wide range of IC designs, especially where high reliability is a must.By Matthew Hogan

Today’s IC designs are complex. They contain vast arrays of features and functionality in Read More