Modeling strategies of the input admittance of RC interconnects for VLSI CAD tools

In this paper, models of input admittance of RC interconnects are discussed in depth to understand and evaluate their loading effects on driving CMOS gates. From a detailed analysis of input admittance polezero location, arguments are derived to prove that their input admittance can be accurately approximated to that of a low-order equivalent RC circuit, in contrast to the case of timing analysis of RC wires. More specifically, 1stor 2nd-order equivalent circuits are derived analytically via the moment matching approach, in contrast to previous analyses that rely on purely numerical approaches. Moreover, simple analytical rules to extend results to arbitrarily complex networks are derived, as opposed to the usual approach that requires numerical estimation of moments. Being fully analytical, the proposed approach permits one to develop models that are extremely simple (i.e. computationally efficient), as well as to gain an insight into the properties of input admittance of RC interconnects. The proposed equivalent circuits are evaluated and validated in situations that occur in real CAD design flows, where RC wire loading effects are estimated by CAD tools to perform the timing/power analysis of the buffer driving the wire. The analysis is validated through extensive simulations on a 65 nm CMOS technology. Well-defined criteria are also derived to select the appropriate model of RC wire input admittance for accurate timing/power estimations in VLSI CAD tools. & 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.