Afraid of mesh-based clock topologies? You should be

Afraid of mesh-based clock topologies? You should be
by Daniel Payne on 03-18-2024 at 10:00 am

mesh-based clock topology

Digital logic chips synchronize all logic operations by using a clock signal connected to flip-flops or latches, and the clock is distributed across the entire chip. The ultimate goal is to have a clock signal that arrives at the exact same moment in time at all clocked elements. If the clock arrives too early or too late from the PLL… Read More


AI and SPICE Circuit Simulation Applications

AI and SPICE Circuit Simulation Applications
by Daniel Payne on 01-24-2024 at 10:00 am

Figure 1 min

Can you name the EDA vendor that first used AI starting 15 years ago for circuit designers using SPICE simulators? I can remember that vendor, it was Solido, now part of Siemens EDA, and I just read their 8 page paper on how they look at the various levels of AI being used in EDA to help IC designers work smarter and faster than using manual… Read More


Webinar: Enhance Productivity with Machine Learning in the Analog Front-End Design Flow

Webinar: Enhance Productivity with Machine Learning in the Analog Front-End Design Flow
by Daniel Payne on 03-23-2023 at 6:00 am

analog Circuit Optimization

Analog IC designers can spend way too much time and effort re-using old, familiar, manual iteration methods for circuit design, just because that’s the way it’s always been done. Circuit optimization is an EDA approach that can automatically size all the transistors in a cell, by running SPICE simulations across… Read More


Webinar: Learn About the Latest Advances in Device Modeling Using Silvaco Utmost IV

Webinar: Learn About the Latest Advances in Device Modeling Using Silvaco Utmost IV
by Admin on 01-18-2023 at 3:05 pm

In this webinar, Silvaco will present some of the 2022 Baseline enhancements to our Utmost IV Device Modeling tool. We will introduce the Corner and Retargeting Module, the most recent addition to our modeling software platform, and review some of the newest models and technologies where Silvaco’s Utmost IV is a key contributor.

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Why Use PADS Professional Premium for Electronic Design

Why Use PADS Professional Premium for Electronic Design
by Daniel Payne on 11-01-2022 at 6:00 am

PADS Designer min

My IC design career started just a few years before PADS got started in 1985 with a DOS-based tool for PCB design. A lot has changed since then, as PADS was acquired by Mentor Graphics in 2001, and continued to grow under Siemens EDA, now with four versions to choose from, where the top version is called PADS Professional Premium:

  • PADS
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WEBINAR: Challenges in analyzing High Performance clocks at 7nm and below process nodes

WEBINAR: Challenges in analyzing High Performance clocks at 7nm and below process nodes
by Daniel Nenni on 05-10-2022 at 6:00 am

Clock analysis rail to rail

Proper clock functionality and performance are essential for SoC operation. Static timing analysis (STA) tools have served well for verifying clocks, yet with new advanced process nodes, lower operating voltages, higher clock speeds and higher reliability requirements, STA tools alone can’t perform the kinds of analysis… Read More


Synopsys Debuts Major New Analog Simulation Capabilities

Synopsys Debuts Major New Analog Simulation Capabilities
by Tom Simon on 05-03-2021 at 10:00 am

Synopsys analog simulation

Just prior to this year’s Synopsys User Group (SNUG) meeting, I had a call with Hany Elhak, Group Director of Product Management and Marketing at Synopsys, to talk about their latest announcements for analog simulation. Synopsys usually has big things to talk about each year around this time – this year is no exception. Hany… Read More


How About a Faster Fast SPICE? Much Faster!

How About a Faster Fast SPICE? Much Faster!
by Tom Simon on 07-22-2020 at 10:35 am

Analog FastSPICE eXTreme

When Analog FastSPICE was first introduced in 2006 it changed the landscape for high performance SPICE simulation. During the last 14 years it has been used widely to verify advanced nanometer designs. Of course, since then the most advanced designs have progressed significantly, making verification even more difficult. Just… Read More


Webinar on Methods for Monte Carlo and High Sigma Analysis

Webinar on Methods for Monte Carlo and High Sigma Analysis
by Tom Simon on 06-12-2020 at 6:00 am

Advanced Monte Carlo Methods

There is an old saying popularized by Mark Twain that goes “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” It turns out that no one can say who originated this saying, yet despite however you might feel about statistics, they play an important role in verifying analog designs. The truth is that there are large numbers… Read More


Mixed-Signal Debugging Gets a Boost

Mixed-Signal Debugging Gets a Boost
by Daniel Payne on 03-30-2020 at 6:00 am

starvision pro

Having the right tool for the job at hand is always a joy, and when your IC project involves RTL code, gates, transistors and even parasitic interconnect, then you need some EDA tool help for debugging and finding out why your design behaves the way it is. An FAE named Sujit Roy did a conference call with me last week to show what StarVisionRead More