Helmut Graeb
ABSTRACT
While the majority of research in design automation for analog circuits has been relying on statistical solution approaches, deterministic approaches are an attractive alternative. This paper gives a few examples of deterministic methods for sizing, structural synthesis and layout synthesis of analog circuits, which have been developed over the past decades. It starts from the so-called characteristic boundary curve for interactive parameter optimization, and ends at recent approaches for structural synthesis of operational amplifiers based on functional block composition. A deterministic approach to analog placement and to yield optimization will also be described. The central role of structural analysis of circuit netlists in these approaches will be explained. A summary of the underlying mindset of analog design automation and an outlook on future opportunities for deterministic sizing and layout synthesis concludes the paper.
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Index Terms
- Analog Synthesis - The Deterministic Way
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