Data processing: structural design – modeling – simulation – and em – Simulating electronic device or electrical system
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-01
2001-11-27
Teska, Kevin J. (Department: 2123)
Data processing: structural design, modeling, simulation, and em
Simulating electronic device or electrical system
C703S002000, C703S004000, C716S030000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06324493
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention is related to the design of optimized metalization structures and, more particularly, to modeling of electromagnetic interactions in electrical circuit metalization sub units to simulate the electrical properties of metalization structures in integrated circuits from their physical characteristics and using those electrical properties to obtain improved metalization performance.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is desirable to be able to model quickly and accurately the electrical characteristics of metalization structures, such as inductors, interconnects and the like. Determination of these electrical characteristics requires a detailed solution of the charge and current densities everywhere in the metalization structure combined with an understanding of the extent to which time dependent variations in the charge and current densities will generate unwanted variations in the charge and current densities elsewhere. Because of the very rapid three (3) dimensional variation in charge and current densities with position in known metalization structures, because these variations strongly affect the electrical characteristics of the metalizations, and because the variations can arise from variations in distant metalization structures, an accurate and fast method for determining those charge and current distributions and the interactions between those charge and current distributions is required in order to properly determine the electrical properties of, for example, inductors or other systems of metals. One family of techniques that has been used for this purpose, employs a uniform or variable three (3) dimensional mesh of the entire metalization structure and assumes that the charge and current distributions will be strongly determined by interactions with adjacent metalization structures at all distances. However, these so-called long range solvers are very inefficient, i.e., slow, when employed in an attempt to model metalization structures that are largely planar as in integrated circuit metalization structures or that are strongly shielded from distant structures or that are physically small as compared to the wavelength of the electrical signals. Another family of techniques employs a very coarse mesh to reduce the number of interactions that must be incorporated in the solution. These solvers are faster in yielding results than the prior family but do not account for the strong short range variations and interactions in the charge and current densities that are very important in order to accurately model the metalization structure to be fabricated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These and other problems and limitations of prior known modeling and design arrangements and techniques are overcome by employing a so-called multipole decomposition for modeling the charge and current distributions and the interactions of those distributions in metalization sub units arising from electrical signals in those metalization sub units.
Specifically, a variable interaction range meshing, i.e., multipole, decomposition process is advantageously employed to model the charge and current distributions of metalization sub units. These distributions are then employed to obtain electrical characteristics of an overall physical metalization structure to be fabricated.
In an embodiment of this invention, representative sections of metalization sub units are selected such as straight sections of infinitesimal length, right angle bends and intersections, and solved for the local short range charge and current interactions that determine their local distributions in those sub units. Then, components of the charge and current distributions are selected and separated based on the nature of their interactions with other circuit metalization sub units and the rate at which they can vary in the metalization structure. Only those interactions are retained that can significantly impact the overall metalization structure characteristics. Then, only evaluate those interactions with other metalization sub units during intervals in which those interaction components are capable of changing.
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Agere Systems Guardian Corp.
Sergent Douglas W.
Teska Kevin J.
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