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A top-down design approach in IC industry comprises of three levels which includes:
1 W! H4 V. q6 j6 o; y1 {IC design (circuit-level), model / device(device-level), IC process technology(fabrication-level).
& N, _* i% Q1 B9 P2 x0 jOn the circuit-level,
9 h' L. q. J8 u' Za compact model provides the external terminal electrical characteristics & \/ K9 Y) N1 @ R2 K2 ^
resulted from the mathematic expressions of an electronic device. w2 V G* S( D3 M0 @- j# g; Y
The external terminal characteristics (Pin Characteristics) includes terminal voltages, currents or charges, $ T2 ?% J. z- a
are featured as the input and output ports values.9 l0 D, y+ J, P! r
The unknown ports values of a device are solved by a simulator when performing circuit analysis.' V K7 {6 d8 R. C/ D
After the structure and behavior of the individual compact model is specified, the description(structure and behavior) are
$ m q4 j8 S! T: V' D" `submit to the simulator. The simulator employees KCL and KVL to create a set of nonlinear equations. * L8 j7 `$ N) A$ f$ }2 s5 C' M
The nonlinear differential equations are not solved directly, but with approximation and iterative methods. Under certain
. Q8 F: V$ Q( |* o' b' |0 @& Kapproximation, the equations are solved with the Newton-Raphson method. The solutions are equilibrium points of nodal analysis.2 l( {0 Y1 ~6 J# j' q- z j: p
IC design engineers work on a higher abstraction level than the device(transistor) level.) R9 K3 H" q1 E7 ^7 H
In other words, transistors are the primitive components in the eye of IC designer.. S( o# H' [2 G* O& H# p
A virtual symbol is the representive of a real device(component).
. H4 I, Z7 A+ f: C* L$ t7 Q+ sFor instance, transistor's compact model is seen as a 4 pins symbol. 1 N- v0 A6 N8 Z3 W+ O6 I
In Advanced Design System(ADS), three design types are allowed: schematic, symbol, and layout.
! R7 S1 E+ t1 m# n& lThose designs can all be stored in a small containner names "cell" and a big containner names "library".
4 X# m7 j4 ~2 s- b u: o/ ]IC designer works with the connection of some symbols in a schematic.
/ _' ?5 F! H J. t6 z9 bEach symbol represents an electronic device (component). + ?, g1 @, c( s
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' \* L Y, T* V! \4 f9 D5 W) `. ULittle knowledge of a device's internal structures and behaviours are required for IC designers. Because a device works as a funtional block. In stead, a device's external structures (connection) and behaviours are of concerns. ; ] ~( k; s3 R, e8 y" ^
On the fabrication-level, j* ]% ~7 `6 z/ w2 c0 ^6 `- `
a compact model has the internal description of the device characteristics by means of a set of physics-based expressions with ; q2 n2 O& }% O" Z1 \' P
technology dependent model parameters. The physic-based model parameters values accounts for the actual behavior and properties 0 D4 { a: J2 T+ }9 @& y
of a device are defined by its process variables such as: geometrical dimensions and doping profiles.9 M4 R3 M ~4 ^! e' u; ^ T
The true parameters values need to be carefully measured by the experimental setup of device characterization.
/ `) a4 X! }' R RAccordingly,
) j& ^+ Q7 i% w7 T0 R* U5 D* @the verified compact models are expected to be implemented in simulators.6 Z) Y# u) d8 y# G( ~2 F
Thus the modelling accuracy and computational efficiency that a simulator can provide to integrate circuits' analysis / V( R4 U. ^/ i/ s3 ?- d/ N H# z
is the same as its implemented compact model. Meanwhile, a compact model is the most crucial process design kit, which plays as the interface between circuit designers and device developers.
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