This paper explores the suitability of UML techniques for defining hierarchical relationships in AMS (analogue and mixed-signal) circuit blocks, and XML for storing soft AMS IP design rules AMS IP design data. Both aspects are essential to raising the abstraction level in synthesis of this class of block in SoCs. The various facets of AMS IP are discussed, and explicit mappings to concepts in UML are demonstrated. Then, through a simple example block, these concepts are applied and the successful modification of an existing analogue synthesis tool to incorporate these ideas is proven. The central data format of this tool is XML, and several examples are given showing how this meta-language can be used in both AMS soft-IP creation and firm-IP synthesis.
Ian O'Connor, Faress Tissafi-Drissi, G. Revy, Fr&e