Novel sizing algorithm for yield improvement under process variation in nanometer technology

Abstract

Due to process parameter variations, a large variabilily in circuit delay occurs in scaled technologies affecting the yield. In this paper, we propose a sizing algorithm to ensure the speed of a circuit under process variation with a certain degree of confidence while maintaining the area and power budget within a limit. This algorithm estimates the variation in circuit delay using statistical timing analysis considering both inter-and intra-die process variation and resizes the circuit to achieve a desired yield. Experimental results on several benchmark circuits show that one can achieve up to 19% savings in area (power) using our algorithm compared to the worst-case design.