ICExplorer-XTime

Timing is the most important indicator to characterize the function and performance of digital chips. There are a huge number of timing paths in digital circuit design. In order to ensure that the chip functions correctly and performs as expected, timing analysis of the timing paths in the circuit is required. The current means of timing analysis are mainly static timing analysis and high precision timing simulation analysis. Static timing analysis is widely used in digital integrated circuit design because of its speed, less memory and exhaustibility. However, for advanced process or low voltage design, static timing analysis has many limitations, for example, in advanced process or low voltage case, the process deviation will show non-Gaussian distribution phenomenon, which has a great impact on the static timing analysis technique based on the assumption of Gaussian distribution, resulting in the accuracy of timing calculation cannot adapt to the demand of high precision timing analysis. At the same time, timing problems caused by timing sensitivity and aging under advanced processes pose a great challenge to the reliability of circuit design, and the traditional static timing analysis methods cannot effectively solve these problems. Compared with static timing analysis methods, the advantages of timing simulation analysis methods are gradually emerging under advanced process or low-voltage design conditions, which can not only evaluate circuit timing conditions more accurately by simulating key timing paths, but also quickly analyze circuit timing sensitivity and simulate circuit aging effects, etc. This analysis method not only breaks through the limitations of static timing analysis methods, but also better adapts and meets the requirements of timing analysis under advanced process and low voltage design conditions.

ICExplorer-XTime provides a highly accurate timing analysis solution for advanced processes and low voltage designs, effectively solving the problem that static timing analysis methods for advanced processes and low-voltage designs cannot accurately evaluate timing and design reliability. The tool provides high-precision timing simulation verification function, voltage/temperature sensitivity analysis function, process variation analysis function and aging simulation analysis function, etc., which provide important support for circuit timing reliability analysis.