Techniques for calculating currents and voltages in VLSI power supply networks

Analysis of power distribution in VLSI circuits requires the solution of a large network of resistors and current sources. Fortunately, these resistor networks have certain characteristic properties that permit partitioning into smaller, easier to solve sections. The authors present a set of techniques that can be used to identify and quickly solve three characteristic network configurations: trees, simple loops, and series resistors with interspersed current sources. Methods for efficiently solving other sections of the network are also explored. System performance of several designs is reported.>