Timing Optimization Through Clock Skew Scheduling

History of the Book The last three decades have witnessed an explosive development in - tegrated circuit fabrication technologies. The complexities of current CMOS circuits are reaching beyond the 65 nanometer feature size and multi-hundred million transistors per integrated circuit. To fully exploit this technological potential, circuit designers use sophisticated Computer-Aided Design (CAD) tools. While supporting the talents of innumerable microelectronics engineers, these CAD tools have become the enabling factor responsible for the succe- ful design and implementation of thousands of high performance, large scale integrated circuits. This book (a research monograph) originated from a body of doctoral d- sertationresearchcompletedbythe?rstauthorattheUniversityofRochester from 1994 to 1999 while under the supervision of Prof. Eby G. Friedman. This research focuses on issues in the design of the clock distribution network in large scale, high performance digital synchronous circuits and particularly, on algorithmsfornon-zero clockskewscheduling.Duringthedevelopmentofthis research, it became clear that incorporating timing issues into the successful integrated circuit design process is of fundamental importance, particularly in that advanced theoretical developments in this area have been slow to reach the designers’ desktops. The second edition of the book is enhanced by the body of doctoral dissertation research completed by the second author at the University of Pittsburgh from 2000 to 2005 under the supervision of Prof.

Timing Optimization Through Clock Skew Scheduling focuses on optimizing the timing of large scale, high performance, digital synchronous systems. A particular emphasis is placed on algorithms for non-zero clock skew scheduling to improve the performance and reliability of VLSI circuits.

This research monograph answers the need for a broad introduction to state-of-the-art clock skew scheduling algorithms from a circuit, graph, and mathematical optimization background. A detailed description of clock skew scheduling application on edge-triggered and level-sensitive circuits, synchronized with single and multi-phase clocking schemes, and formulated as linear programming (LP) and quadratic programming (QP) formulations are provided along with an analysis of optimal computer solution techniques. Theoretical limits of improvement in clock frequency through clock skew scheduling are highlighted. Hints and a preliminary implementation of a parallel skew scheduling application are also included.

Timing Optimization Through Clock Skew Scheduling contains sufficient detail for the advanced CAD algorithm developer, researcher and graduate student. Furthermore, with the material provided on timing properties and optimization, those readers with less background can also benefit from this book.