One of the least-fun parts of running power and rail analysis has always been coming up with the electromigration (EM) model file. In the past, this involved cracking open the process design rule manual, finding the appropriate equations, and creating a spreadsheet to calculate all the numbers needed for the various metal width and via sizes. Then, this information had to be put in the format of the model file used by Encounter Digital Implementation System (EDI) and Encounter Power System (EPS). This approach was prone to errors and involved some user decisions about what exactly to model. Frustrating, but it worked for the most part.
Now there is an easier way to get this information into an automatically-created EM model file. You'll need the iRCX file (also referred to as a unified tech file) from your foundry, and you'll need to locate both your extraction installation and your EDI installation.
When you request the iRCX information from your foundry, it may come in a directory that needs to be unzipped and untarred. Ultimately, you're looking for a file that's named something like IRCX_28NM_8M_typical.ircx. Make sure you have the right file for your process, metal stack, and extraction corner.
To locate your extraction installation, type:
>which qrc
/apps/PVE111/11.11.238/bin/qrc
To locate your EDI installation, type:
>which encounter
/apps/EDI110/11.12.000/tools/bin/encounter
Now, you'll run two translators. The first comes from the extraction installation and is called ircxtoict. This translates the iRCX file into the .ict format:
>/apps/PVE111/11.11.238/bin/ircxtoict -i IRCX_28NM_8M_typical.ict IRCX_28NM_8M_typical.ircx
Now that you have an .ict file, you can use the second translator, which comes from your EDI installation, to create the EM model file. But first, you'll need to create a small text file called conductor.widths (or another name of your choice). It looks something like this, with the order of each line being <metal_layer> <min_width> <max_width>. The width values are in microns:
M1 0.05 4.5
M2 0.05 4.5
M3 0.05 4.5
M4 0.05 4.5
M5 0.05 4.5
M6 0.05 4.5
M7 0.40 12.0
M8 0.40 12.0
AP 2.00 35.0
The metal layer names come from the .ict file, and the min and max widths come from the tech LEF. (Note that the metal layer names may differ between the .ict file and your tech LEF.)
Now we're ready for that second translator, called ict2emfiles. It converts the newly-created .ict file to the EDI/EPS EM model file format:
>/apps/EDI110/11.12.000/share/anls/gift/bin/ict2emfiles -eps -i IRCX_28NM_8M_typical.ict -w conductor.widths
This will result in a file called IRCX_28NM_8M_typical.ict.em_model, which you can then use during the RJ analysis in EDI/EPS.
This method saves a lot of time and removes potential sources of error. I was very happy to be able to create my EM model file this way, and I hope others will find this useful as well.
- Kari Summers