Patent attributes
A static timing analysis system for finding and reporting timing violations in a digital circuit design prior to circuit fabrication, and associated methods, use exhaustive path-based analysis (EPBA) that is informed by infinite-depth path-based analysis (IPBA) to provide analysis results that are driven full-depth, in contrast to conventional EPBA systems and methods, which can terminate after reaching a maximum depth of analysis as a way of avoiding prolonged or infinite runtimes. The IPBA-driven full-depth EPBA functions for hold-mode as well as setup-mode analysis and achieves reduced pessimism as compared to systems or methods employing IPBA alone, and more complete analysis of designs as compared to systems or methods employing EPBA alone. Improved IPBA signal merging using multidimensional zones for thresholding of signal clustering mitigates the occasional optimism of IPBA.
