This book introduces techniques that advance the capabilities and strength of modern software tools for physical synthesis, with the ultimate goal to improve the quality of leading-edge semiconductor products. It provides a comprehensive introduction to physical synthesis and takes the reader methodically from first principles through state-of-the-art optimizations used in cutting edge industrial tools. It explains how to integrate chip optimizations in novel ways to create powerful circuit transformations that help satisfy performance requirements.

This book describes a new design methodology that allows optimization-based synthesis of RF systems in a hierarchical multilevel approach, in which the system is designed in a bottom-up fashion, from the device level up to the (sub)system level. At each level of the design hierarchy, the authors discuss methods that increase the design robustness and increase the accuracy and efficiency of the simulations. The methodology described enables circuit sizing and layout in a complete and automated integrated manner, achieving optimized designs in significantly less time than with traditional approaches.

This book addresses the automatic sizing and layout of analog integrated circuits (ICs) using deep learning (DL) and artificial neural networks (ANN). It explores an innovative approach to automatic circuit sizing where ANNs learn patterns from previously optimized design solutions. In opposition to classical optimization-based sizing strategies, where computational intelligence techniques are used to iterate over the map from devices’ sizes to circuits’ performances provided by design equations or circuit simulations, ANNs are shown to be capable of solving analog IC sizing as a direct map from specifications to the devices’ sizes. Two separate ANN architectures are proposed: a Regression-only model and a Classification and Regression model. The goal of the Regression-only model is to learn design patterns from the studied circuits, using circuit’s performances as input features and devices’ sizes as target outputs. This model can size a circuit given its specifications for a single topology. The Classification and Regression model has the same capabilities of the previous model, but it can also select the most appropriate circuit topology and its respective sizing given the target specification. The proposed methodology was implemented and tested on two analog circuit topologies.

In this book, innovative research using artificial neural networks (ANNs) is conducted to automate the placement task in analog integrated circuit layout design, by creating a generalized model that can generate valid layouts at push-button speed. Further, it exploits ANNs’ generalization and push-button speed prediction (once fully trained) capabilities, and details the optimal description of the input/output data relation. The description developed here is chiefly reflected in two of the system’s characteristics: the shape of the input data and the minimized loss function. In order to address the latter, abstract and segmented descriptions of both the input data and the objective behavior are developed, which allow the model to identify, in newer scenarios, sub-blocks which can be found in the input data. This approach yields device-level descriptions of the input topology that, for each device, focus on describing its relation to every other device in the topology. By means of these descriptions, an unfamiliar overall topology can be broken down into devices that are subject to the same constraints as a device in one of the training topologies. In the experimental results chapter, the trained ANNs are used to produce a variety of valid placement solutions even beyond the scope of the training/validation sets, demonstrating the model’s effectiveness in terms of identifying common components between newer topologies and reutilizing the acquired knowledge. Lastly, the methodology used can readily adapt to the given problem’s context (high label production cost), resulting in an efficient, inexpensive and fast model.

Improving the performance of existing technologies has always been a focal practice in the development of computational systems. However, as circuitry is becoming more complex, conventional techniques are becoming outdated and new research methodologies are being implemented by designers. Performance Optimization Techniques in Analog, Mix-Signal, and Radio-Frequency Circuit Design features recent advances in the engineering of integrated systems with prominence placed on methods for maximizing the functionality of these systems. This book emphasizes prospective trends in the field and is an essential reference source for researchers, practitioners, engineers, and technology designers interested in emerging research and techniques in the performance optimization of different circuit designs.

This book presents selected papers from the 7th International Conference on Inventive Systems and Control (ICISC 2023), held on January 30–31, 2023, at JCT College of Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore, India. The conference proceedings of ICISC 2023 include an analysis of the class of intelligent systems and control techniques that utilizes various artificial intelligence technologies, where there are no mathematical models and system available to make them remain controlled. Inspired by various existing intelligent techniques, the primary goal of ICISC 2023 proceedings is to present the emerging innovative models to tackle the challenges faced by the existing computing and communication technologies.