Net criticality revisited

Criticality metrics is a type of predictive models used in VLSI design. This work demonstrates that timing in physical design could be substantially improved if circuits were subjected to timing criticality analysis prior to layout and new criticality metrics were used to drive layout system. These new metrics are computed as ratios of net physical characteristics to the net delay bounds determined by an optimal bounds computation algorithm. Attempts to develop criticality metrics prior to layout were made before, but these metrics were not based on the bound ideology. The paper provides probabilistic interpretation of new criticality metrics and derivation of some important properties of these metrics. Evaluation of net criticality by new metrics can be easily merged with any layout system that allows weights to be assigned to nets on placement and/or routing steps. The methodology has been tested with a commercial layout system from a leading CAD provider. When the new criticality information was supplied to a basic commercial standard cell placer and router, timing was improved by 29.5% for the set of testcases. The achieved result is 12% better than timing generated by a targeted timing-driven layout system from the same provider. All additional computations related to the new criticality metrics require only negligible increase in run time of the basic layout system.