Mixed-mode analog/digital simulation of MOS circuits /
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| Other Authors: | , , |
| Format: | Thesis Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
1990.
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | ProQuest, Abstract Link to OAKTrust copy |
| Abstract: | Simulation is an important step in the VLSI design. Numerous simulation techniques of different abstraction levels have been developed to achieve a reliable verification before the circuit is fabricated. However, as more and more functional blocks, both digital and analog, are integrated into a single chip, designers frequently find it very difficult, or even impossible, to simulate the whole circuit with simulators of a single-level simulation methodology. Mixed-mode simulators, integration systems of more than one simulation methodology, are thus highly demanded to simulate the increasingly complicated designs. In this dissertation, algorithms and techniques for mixed-mode simulation are presented and the results of this work is the Tsim mixed-mode simulator. Three simulation algorithms are integrated into Tsim; namely, the Backward Euler and Newton-Raphson iteration for analog simulation, the semi-implicit Forward Euler algorithm for fast timing simulation, and the RC delay estimation for switch-level simulation. The simulation architecture is designed in a way that it can be conveniently expanded with other simulation algorithms. Several important results are derived from this work in order to handle the signal synchronization and interface problems: A levelized dc initialization either achieves the convergent dc solution or identifies the troublesome spots which will be initialized by more elegant algorithms. The waveform-based signal representation in Tsim allows a smooth signal conversion between subcircuits simulated by different algorithms. The signal synchronization among different blocks is carefully addressed by a grid-based time-step control. Tsim has been tested with practical circuits including some industrial designs. The results show a favorable speed comparison over SPICE2 while maintaining reasonable accuracy. |
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| Item Description: | Typescript (photocopy). Vita. "Major subject: Electrical engineering." |
| Physical Description: | xiii, 137 leaves : illustrations ; 29 cm |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references. |