The inventive concept relates to integrated circuit(s), and more particularly, to computer-implemented method(s) for designing and/or manufacturing integrated circuit(s).
The design and manufacture of integrated circuits is a highly complex process. The evolution of integrated circuits is characterized by an increasing integration density of the constituent elements. In order to obtain a reliable integrated circuit at the end of the design and manufacturing process, a number of design constraints (e.g., element proximity, signal timing, power consumption, etc.) are usually defined in order to protect the integrity of the overall design. As integration density increases, the possibility of violating one or more design constraint(s) rises.
The evolution of integrated circuits is also characterized by a desire to reduce or minimize the physical size of and/or the power consumed by the integrated circuit (or the incorporating semiconductor chip). Unfortunately, as the number of design constraints for an integrated circuit increases, corresponding efforts to satisfy the design constraints tend to drive up physical size and/or power consumption. For example, efforts to satisfy a particular timing constraint for an integrated circuit may result in the addition of a buffer cell (or analogous delay element) in order to improve hold time margin(s). Alternately or additionally, efforts to satisfy a particular noise constraint for an integrated circuit may result in the addition of a decoupling capacitor. Such efforts tend to increase the physical size and/or power consumption of the integrated circuit.