On the relation between wire length distributions and placement of logic on master slice ICs

Paper presents a model that characterizes the relation between wire length distributions and placement of logic on master slice integrated circuits. In particular, the model provides a firm mathematical basis for the well known empirical law known as Rent's Rule. It is shown that Rent's Rule is a manifestation of a more fundamental underlying process characterized by a function from which the distribution of wire lengths can be recovered. That is, Rent's Rule contains all the information about the distribution of wire lengths. Based on this, estimates for the average wire length are derived. Finally, experimental results from both simulated and actual chips are presented.