Enhanced Noise Analysis Tool

NoiseIT, a noise detection and correction tool for deep submicron SOC designs, has been enhanced. The tool's new capabilities give cell-based designers better ways to verify and correct for noise on critical nets that are important or have narrow noise margins.

The tool improves glitch modeling and propagation characteristics to improve design accuracy. A SpiceOut capability produces a conditioned netlist for Spice analysis. Since Spice simulation is the most accurate method of validation, the netlist mirrors an actual noise event that can be simulated with popular Spice simulators such as Star-Hspice from Avant!, SmartSpice from Silvaco, Eldo from Mentor Graphics or Spectre from Cadence Design Systems. SpiceOut makes the simulation tractable as part of a verification methodology.

The tool uses finer windowing as compared to typical min-max static timing techniques to eliminate the pessimism, which causes false errors. It also detects and corrects potential data dependent delay problems from cross-talk noise.

Sapphire Design Automation, 2310 Walsh Avenue, Santa Clara, CA 95051. Tel: 408-970-0110; Fax: 408-970-0660.