Performance optimization of digital VLSI circuits
Designers of digital VLSI circuits have virtually no computer tools available for the optimization of circuit performance. Instead, a designer relies extensively on circuit-analysis tools, such as circuit simulation (SPICE) and/or critical-delay-path analysis. A circuit-analysis approach to digital design is very labor-intensive and seldom produces a circuit with optimum area/delay or power/delay trade off. The goal of this research is to provide a synthesis approach to the design of digital circuits by finding the sizes of transistors that optimize circuits by finding the sizes of transistors that optimize circuit performance (delay, area, power). Solutions are found that are optimum for all possible delay paths of a given circuit and not for just a single path. The approach of this research is to formulate the problem of area/delay or power/delay optimization as a nonlinear program. Conditions for optimality are then established using graph theory and Kuhn-Tucker conditions. Finally, the use of augmented-Lagrangian and projected-Lagrangian algorithms are reviewed for the solution of the nonlinear programs. Two computer programs, PLATO and COP, were developed by the author to optimize CMOS PLA's (PLATO) and general CMOS circuits (COP). These tools provably find the globally optimum transistor sizes for a given circuit. Results are presented for PLA's and small- to medium-sized cells.
- Research Organization:
- Stanford Univ., CA (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 5263138
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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