A Polynomial Time Optimal Diode Insertion/Routing Algorithm for Fixing Antenna Problem

Abstract—Antenna problem is a phenomenon of plasma-induced gateoxide degradation. It directly affects manufacturability of very large scale integration (VLSI) circuits, especially in deep submicron technology using high-density plasma. Diode insertion is a very effective way to solve this problem. Ideally, diodes are inserted directly under the wires that violate antenna rules. But in today’s high-density VLSI layouts, there is simply not enough room for “under-the-wire” diode insertion for all wires. Thus, it is necessary to insert many diodes at legal “off-wire” locations and extend the antenna-rule violating wires to connect to their respective diodes. Previously, only simple heuristic algorithms were available for this diode insertion and routing problem. In this paper, we show that the diode insertion and routing problem for an arbitrary given number of routing layers can be optimally solved in polynomial time. Our algorithm guarantees finding a feasible diode insertio...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2002
• Where: DATE
• Authors: Li-Da Huang, Xiaoping Tang, Hua Xiang, D. F. Wong, I-Min Liu
• Keywords: DATE 2002, Diode Insertion, Extension Wires, Feasible Diode Insertion, Hardware