VARIATION AWARE GUARD-BANDING FOR SOC STATIC TIMING ANALYSIS

Vee Kin Wong and Siong Kiong Teng
Intel Microelectronics (M) Sdn. Bhd.


Abstract

The conventional approach to static timing analysis (STA) is to apply a constant guard-band against parameter variation. This can lead to costly and inefficient design. In this paper, we show that the guard-band can be reduced through statistical methods applied using an industry standard STA tool while preserving pessimism to ensure design quality and yield.