Work Smarter Not Harder - How To Get More Results With Less Modeling

In this paper we study the importance of accurate model-based simulation on characterization of the integrated circuit performance. We analyze device sensitivity to process variability and its impact on circuit timing. We show that only a small fraction of devices whose characteristics are significantly affected by process variability actually have correspondingly significant effect on the overall circuit performance. We suggest several ways to use this observation to improve robustness of circuits.We see that a significant fraction of devices is affected by the layout context and should be considered sensitive. However, and it is especially true in large designs, only a small fraction of these devices is critical for the circuit performance. Obviously, to make the design more robust we have to avoid devices which are both sensitive and critical