Simulation
Last Edit July 22, 2001
Introduction
Simulation is a design synthesis - design validation - design verification
tool. It can involve the functional module level, the entire array or
an entire PC board (arrays and other devices). The array vendor is responsible
for the detailed Spice-level modeling of the macros, i.e., modeling at
the basic device level of transistors, resistors, diodes, with parametrics
generated by characterization of the array process.
As a rule, the designer does not need to evaluate the circuit to that
level of detail. Exceptions are those circuits with strict path matching
require-ments. In that case, a partial circuit involving the paths in
question is evaluated at the discrete level. This is usually done with
the support of the array vendor.
Before design start, a simulator can be used to:
- evaluate the array series
- evaluate different implementations of critical or complex structures
Partial and checkout simulations are usually not submitted to the array
vendor at design submission although this use of the simulation tools
is an important step in automation of the design synthesis process. These
simulations are usually in the "quick and dirty" class in that they are
run to appease the designer and often not documented. (This is not intended
as approval for the lack of procedure; it is merely a statement of what
occurs.)
Any simulation done to "check out" a design implementation, partial or
not, should become part of the design notebook and be correctly documented.
During design synthesis, simulation can and should be used to:
- debug the logic design itself
- debug the implementation of that design - functional performance
- evaluate the timing performance of the design implementation
- generate test vectors for prototype and production testing
Simulations used to debug the complete circuit, to check functional performance
and some of the timing analysis vectors can often be used in the creation
of the complete test vector set for wafer-sort and packaged part testing.
Test vectors are generated from simulator output files. Before simulations
are generated for an ASIC array, the designer needs a basic understanding
of the testing problem. This encompasses:
- why the vector set is needed
- what is being tested by the vendor
- what is not being tested by the vendor
- what could be added to the testing done by the vendor if added to
the contract
In addition, the designer must be aware of the limitations imposed by
the array vendor that may be tied to a specific tester. They may be driven
by the specific simulators supported by the vendor. A vendor may require
that all submitted simulations have been run on a specific "golden simulator".
Simulation output files may need to be reformatted before submission.
Such reformatted files are then processed as data by the array vendor
using a test generation program which may add tester-specific control
vectors to handle bidirectional and three-state enable signals.
The designer may have access to an automatic test generator (ATG)
and may have done the proper design for test (DFT) that supports
the use of the ATG. The vectors produced by this method may still need
to be processed to assure that the vectors are in the proper format for
the array vendor and meet the required rules. Check with the chosen
array vendor to see if ATG is supported.
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