The Use of Agile Methodology for Porting Analog and Mixed-Signal Circuits Between Different Technology Nodes

Abstract

With the growing need for increased capacity, speed and capabilities, the complexity of Integrated Circuit (IC) designs continue to increase. With the increased level of complexity and market pressures to deliver better results faster and cheaper, IC companies are forced to innovate and introduce efficiencies into their development process. To improve IC design productivity and time-to-market, this paper introduces an innovative Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tool that will allow the replication of an existing layout in different technology nodes by automatically porting analog and mixed-signal circuits. Furthermore, to better manage the complexity of IC development projects, the paper suggests the use of iterative and incremental approach of agile methods by presenting a case study on an EDA tool development project.