Disclosed are methods of generating a proximity-corrected design layout for photoresist to be used in an etch operation. The methods may include identifying a feature in an initial design layout, and estimating one or more quantities characteristic of an in-feature plasma flux (IFPF) within the feature during the etch operation. The methods may further include estimating a quantity characteristic of an edge placement error (EPE) of the feature by comparing the one or more quantities characteristic of the IFPF to those in a look-up table (LUT, and/or through application of a multivariate model trained on the LUT, e.g., constructed through machine learning methods (MLM)) which associates values of the quantity characteristic of EPE with values of the one or more quantities characteristics of the IFPF. Thereafter, the initial design layout may be modified based on at the determined quantity characteristic of EPE.

Verifying a semiconductor product is disclosed. An image of a self-assembly (SA) pattern on a substrate from a scanner is received. The SA pattern has been initially created using a block copolymer (BCP) which has been annealed on the substrate. Data from the SA pattern is stored in a computer system. The SA pattern data is associated with the semiconductor product. The SA pattern is an information carrying security mark having a set of features with corresponding locations within the information carrying security mark which uniquely identify the semiconductor product.

A circuit is simulated by using system or network tearing to obtain a real solution. The circuit may be an entire integrated circuit, portion of an integrated circuit, or a circuit block. A circuit simulation technique of the invention generates a system graph, finds a tree, and partitions the tree into two or more subtrees. The technique identifies global links and local links in the graph. Each subtree may be solved individually using distributed, parallel computing. Using the results for the subtrees, the technique obtains a real solution, branch voltages and currents, for the circuit.

Forming a logic circuit design from a behavioral description language that includes N force and M release statements applied to a net disposed in the design, includes, in part, forming N multiplexers and a controller controlling the select terminals of the N multiplexers. Each multiplexer receives a force signal at its first input terminal. The output signal of the i.sup.th multiplexer is supplied to a second input terminal of (i+1).sup.th multiplexer. A driver signal driving the net in the absence of the force statements is applied to a second input terminal of a first multiplexer. The controller asserts the select signal of the i.sup.th multiplexer if the i.sup.th force condition is active, and unasserts the select signal of the i.sup.th multiplexer if any one of a number of predefined conditions is satisfied.

A customizable routing system allows designers to create custom connection layouts that can be stored, turned into templates, reused, and further customized. The system describes designer-input custom connection layouts in terms of structural directives that specify its patterns and properties instead of using precise dimensions. Structural directives may describe particular connection patterns between structural components (e.g., backbone or fishbone), the placement, width, direction or layer of specific structural components, and properties of structural components relative to other components. These structural directives are implemented generally during routing, such as through design constraints, which allows the router to locally optimize the design (e.g., for cost or wire length) while considering the structural intentions of the designer. The system can also learn and replicate customization patterns based on existing layout templates by comparing connectivity information to that of existing layout templates and applying applicable structural directives.

A semiconductor device is made by calculating a thermal resistance matrix for the semiconductor device. A plurality of maximum junction temperatures for the plurality of die of the semiconductor device is selected. A plurality of power envelope surfaces are calculated for the semiconductor device based on the thermal resistance matrix and the maximum junction temperatures. A plurality of powers is selected for the plurality of die. The plurality of powers are compared against the plurality of power envelope surfaces to determine a plurality of risk values.

A method and system for migrating an existing ASIC design from one semiconductor fabrication process to another are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, a method for migrating the existing ASIC design comprises parsing the gate-level netlist one row at a time into one or more standard cells forming the ASIC design, forming a plurality of mapping tables having mapping rules for mapping the parsed one or more standard cells into equivalent target standard cells implemented in the second semiconductor fabrication process, mapping the parsed one or more standard cells into the equivalent target standard cells using the plurality of mapping tables, and generating a target gate-level netlist describing the ASIC design in terms of the equivalent target standard cells.

Circuit devices include a first chip that includes functional blocks. A second chip has routing circuitry that provides configurable signal communications between functional blocks of the first chip and configuration memory that controls the routing circuitry and that further controls operation of the functional blocks of the first chip.

A voltage controlled oscillator includes a resonator and an amplifier. The resonator includes a capacitive element and an inductive element. The inductive element has a plurality of conductive segments forming a physical loop. The inductive element has electrical connections on the physical loop to the plurality of conductive segments forming at least one electrical loop disposed within an interior space formed by the physical loop. The amplifier has an input and an output, the input coupled to a first conductive segment forming a first impedance and the output coupled to a second conductive segment forming a second impedance.

Methods and systems for designing an integrated circuit device are described. The method includes receiving RTL descriptions of the whole device and generating lower level component descriptions. The method further includes grouping the component descriptions into blocks, analyzing the component descriptions, and identifying block internal removable components based on the analysis. The method further includes removing the removable components. Reduced design is converted into gate-level descriptions. Finally, the method includes executing high quality and high efficiency device TOP level physical implementation and generation of physical and timing constrains for block level design.