A system is configured to avoid establishing an electrostatic discharge (ESD) region in an integrated circuit (IC). The system includes a processor and memory storing an IC simulator. The IC simulator establishes an IC chip that is sub-divided into a plurality of hierarchical levels. The IC simulator further analyzes a first hierarchical level to determine first connectivity information indicating connectivity between the first hierarchical level and one or both of lower-level pins and lower-level nets of a targeted hierarchical level having a lower-level of hierarchy with respect to the first hierarchical level and analyzes the targeted hierarchical level to determine second connectivity information indicating diode connectivity to one or both high-level pins and higher-level nets included in the first hierarchical level. The IC simulator determines an ESD fail region mitigation operation configured to avoid establishing the ESD region based on the first connectivity information and the second connectivity information.

An integrated circuit includes a plurality of standard cells including first and second standard cells arranged adjacent to each other in a first direction, and first, second, and third metal layers sequentially stacked in a vertical direction. At least one power segment is arranged adjacent a region where at least one of the first standard cell and the second standard cell is arranged. The at least one power segment is configured to provide power to the plurality of standard cells and is formed as a pattern of the third metal layer extending in a second direction.

A computer-readable storage medium that stores computer program code which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to execute tools for designing an integrated circuit (IC). The tools include a placing and routing tool that generates layout data and wire data corresponding to a net included in the IC by placing and routing standard cells defining the IC, the wire data including physical information of a wire implementing the net, and a timing analysis tool that calculates a wire delay with respect to the wire corresponding to the net, based on the physical information, updates the wire delay based on process variation of the wire, and calculates a timing slack by using the updated wire delay.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program that causes a processor to execute a process, the process includes reading a plurality of first solutions of an optimization problem represented by a combination of values of a plurality of state variables, converting the plurality of first solutions into a plurality of second solutions by executing principal component analysis on the plurality of first solutions, determining a region that indicates a spread of the plurality of second solutions in a solution space, generating a third solution located at a second position outside the region and away from a first position within the region by a first distance, converting the third solution into a fourth solution that consists of the plurality of state variables, and searching for a solution of the optimization problem by using the fourth solution as an initial value of the plurality of state variables.

A gear-based mechanical metamaterial with continuously adjustable elastic parameters in a large range is provided. The gear-based mechanical metamaterial includes a gear array, a frame and connecting shafts. The gear array is formed by periodically extending mechanical metamaterial cells along an x direction and a y direction. Each of the mechanical metamaterial cells is formed by arranging a multiple gears. Adjacent gears of the multiple gears are meshed with each other. Each of the multiple gears includes a center hole and two centrosymmetric irregularly-shaped holes. A thickness of an elastic arm between the each of two centrosymmetric irregularly-shaped holes and an outer wall of a corresponding one of the multiple gears is uniformly increased or decreased. Each of the connecting shafts is arranged in a center hole of a corresponding one of the multiple gears.

A method is provided. The method includes obtaining, for a particular integrated (IC) design, register transfer level (RTL) code and unified power format (UPF) settings, generating an RTL feature array from the RTL code, arranging features based on a UPF into a UPF feature array, generating, by a processor, a combined feature array for the particular IC design by combining the RTL feature array and the UPF feature array, comparing the combined feature array for the particular IC design with another combined feature array, and reporting differences, based on the comparing, between the combined feature array and the other combined feature array to identify changes in at least one of the RTL code and the UPF settings that resulted in a change in a number of power violations.

A method and an apparatus of designing an integrated circuit are provided. The method includes: S1, loading a power fill to a circuit layout with original metal lines; S2, checking whether a current layout includes a region with a spacing error; if yes, performing S3; otherwise, outputting the current layout; and S3, pruning a power fill shape corresponding to the region with a spacing error by a predetermined spacing width delta, and returning to the S2.

In one embodiment, a system includes a processor. The processor is configured to provide for time synchronization between execution of a power production modeling and simulation system (PPMSS) model and a power distribution modeling and simulation system (PDMSS) model, wherein the PPMSS model comprises a power production system simulation and wherein the PDMSS model comprises a power distribution system simulation.

A method of identifying, in a circuit design of an electronic circuit, a source of side channel leakage of the electronic circuit. The method comprises: a) simulating over a leakage time interval an operation of the circuit in response to at least one stimulus, thereby deriving for each one of the at least one stimulus per circuit part of the electronic circuit a respective simulated leakage quantity circuit part response over the leakage time interval; b) obtaining for each one of the at least one stimulus an expected leakage quantity response over the leakage time interval from a processing of each one of the at least one stimulus by a leakage model, the leakage model modelling a leak-quantity at a processing of a secure asset; c) determining respective circuit part correlations over the leakage time interval between the respective simulated leakage quantity circuit part responses and the expected leakage quantity responses; d) ranking the circuit parts based on the circuit part correlations between the respective simulated leakage quantity circuit part responses and the expected leakage quantity responses and e) identifying as the source of side channel leakage the circuit part for which a highest one of the circuit correlations has been determined between the expected leakage quantity responses and the respective simulated leakage quantity circuit part responses.

A method of designing a layout of a semiconductor integrated circuit, including receiving input data defining the semiconductor integrated circuit; determining a first layout of the semiconductor integrated circuit by performing a placement and routing (P&R) procedure based on the input data, wherein the first layout includes a plurality of blocks, a plurality of standard cells, a plurality of power wirings, a plurality of ground wirings, a plurality of clock wirings, and a plurality of signal wirings; selecting a target region of the first layout, wherein the target region is capable of accommodating at least one additional power wiring and at least one additional ground wiring; and determining a second layout of the semiconductor integrated circuit by modifying the first layout to include the at least one additional power wiring and the at least one additional ground wiring in the target region.