Automated system-level design for reliability: RF front-end application

Abstract

Reliability is an important issue for circuits in critical applications such as military, aerospace, energy, and biomedical engineering. With the rise in the failure rate in nanometer CMOS, reliability has become critical in recent years. Existingdesign methodologies consider classical criteria such as area, speed, and power consumption. They are often implemented using postsynthesis reliability analysis and simulation tools. This chapter proposes an automated system design for reliability methodology. While accounting for a circuit’s reliability in the early design stages, the proposed methodology is capable of identifying an RF front-end optimal design considering reliability as a criterion.