Research in computer simulation of integrated circuits

The performance of the new LSI simulator CLASSIE is evaluated on several circuits with a few hundred to over one thousand semiconductor devices. A more accurate run time prediction formula has been found to be appropriate for circuit simulators. The design decisions for optimal performance under the constraints of the hardware (CRAY-1) are presented. Vector computers have an increased potential for fast, accurate simulation at the transistor level of Large-Scale-Integrated Circuits. Design considerations for a new circuit simulator are developed based on the specifics of the vector computer architecture and of LSI circuits. The simulation of Large-Scale-Integrated (LSI) circuits requires very long run time on conventional circuit analysis programs such as SPICE2 and super-mini computers. A new simulator for LSI circuits, CLASSIE, which takes advantage of circuit hierarchy and repetitiveness, and array processors capable of high-speed floating-point computation are a promising combination. While a large number of powerful design verfication tools have been developed for IC design at the transistor and logic gate levels, there are very few silicon-oriented tools for architectural design and evaluation.