Fast PVT Verification and Design

Abstract

This chapter explores how to design circuits under PVT variation effects, as opposed to statistical process variation effects. Process, voltage, and temperature (PVT) variations are taken into account by individually varying P, V, and T over their allowable ranges and analyzing the subsequent combinations or so-called PVT corners. In modern designs, there can be hundreds or thousands of PVT corners. This chapter reviews design flows to handle PVT variations, and compares them in terms of relative speed and accuracy. It introduces a ‘‘Fast PVT’’ flow and shows how that flow has excellent speed and accuracy characteristics. It describes the Fast PVT algorithm, which is designed to quickly extract the most relevant PVT corners. These corners can be used within a fast and accurate iterative design loop. Furthermore, Fast PVT reliably verifies designs, on average 5x faster than the method of testing all corners on a suite of benchmark circuits. This chapter concludes with design examples based on the production use of Fast PVT technology by industrial circuit designers