RICE: Rapid Interconnect Circuit Evaluator

Background Existing software being used for timing analysis falls into two cateqories: 1) extremely slow and very accurate (e.g., SPICE) or 2) verv fast, inaccurate, and topology-limited. RICE bridges this problem, in that it is very fast while retaining accuracy comparable to SPICE. Additionallv, it does not restrict the complexity of the RLC circuit models.

Invention Description RICE is a software tool that allows a verv rapid characterization of RLC interconnect circuit models for the primary purpose of timinq analysis in digital VLSI circuits, multichip modules, and related timinq analysis problems. RICE is a collection of efficiently implemented specialized algorithms that allow very efficient, yet very accurate analysis of RLC circuit models.

Benefits

Produces a reduced-order analytical model that completely characterizes the signal Bypasses the numerical instabilities of earlier methods Guarantees stable approximations for stable circuits

Market Potential/Applications Additional applications of the RICE software and techniques include transmission line characterization, VLSI power distribution analysis, and timing-driven placement algorithms.

IP Status One U.S. patent issued: 5,379,231

UT Researcher Lawrence T. Pileggi, Ph.D., Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin Curtis L. Ratzlaff, Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin Nanda Gopal, Ph.D., Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin

Type of Offer: Licensing



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