Completed Projects

Circuit and Layout Synthesis for Custom Analog

Group Members: Mehmet Aktuna, Bulent Basaran, John Cohn, David Garrod, Ramesh Harjani, Michael Krasnicki, Sujoy Mitra, Sudip K. Nag, Emil Ochotta, Rodney Phelps, Balsha Robert Stanisic

Collaborators: L. Richard Carley, CMU; David J. Allstot, U. Washington; Georges G.E. Gielen, Katholieke Univ Leuven, Belgium; James R. Hellums, Texas Instruments

Logic synthesis and ASIC layout tools revolutionized digital chip design in the 1980s and 1990s, making it possible for small teams to design very complex circuits. In the analog domain, such tools are just now (early 2000s) commercially available. Our group pioneered many of the key breakthroughs that became today's first generation of viable, analog circuit and layout syntesis tools. We developed many of the first successful analog sizing, optimization, placement, routing, and design centering tools. Much of this technology was commercialized in the startup company Neolinear Inc., which was purchased by Cadence Design Systems in 2004. Today, many of these ideas are widely available, built directly into the Cadence industry-leading Virtuoso platform.

Key Papers/Talks

  • R. Harjani, R.A. Rutenbar, L.R. Carley, "A prototype framework for knowledge-based analog circuit synthesis," Proc. ACM/IEEE Design Automation Conference, June 1987. (Winner, Best Paper Award.) pdf
  • R.A. Rutenbar, L.R. Carley, "How to automate analog IC designs,"
    IEEE Spectrum, Volume 25, Issue 8, Aug. 1988. pdf
  • J.M. Cohn, D.J. Garrod, R.A. Rutenbar, L.R. Carley, "KOAN/ANAGRAM II: New tools for device-level analog placement and routing," EEE Journal of Solid State Circuits, Volume 26, Issue 3, Mar 1991. pdf
  • B.R. Stanisic, N.K. Verghese, R.A. Rutenbar, L.R. Carley, D.J. Allstot, "Addressing substrate coupling in mixed-mode ICs: simulation and power distribution synthesis," IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, Volume 29, Issue 3, March 1994. pdf
  • S. Mitra, R.A. Rutenbar, L.R. Carley, D.J. Allstot, "Substrate-aware mixed-signal macrocell placement in WRIGHT," IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits,
    Volume 30, Issue 3, March 1995. pdf
  • E.S. Ochotta, R.A. Rutenbar and L.R. Carley, "Synthesis of high-performance analog circuits in ASTRX/OBLX," IEEE Trans. CAD, Volume 15, Issue 3, March 1996. pdf
  • M. Aktuna, R.A. Rutenbar, L.R. Carley, "Device-level early floorplanning algorithms for RF circuits," IEEE Trans. CAD, Volume 18, Issue 4, April 1999. pdf
  • M. Krasnicki, R.A. Rutenbar, L.R. Carley, "MAELSTROM: Efficient simulation-based synthesis for custom analog cells," Proceedings. 36th ACM/IEEE Design Automation Conference, June 1999. pdf
  • R. Phelps, M. Krasnicki, R.A. Ruenbar, L.R. Carley, J.R. Hellums, "Anaconda: simulation-based synthesis of analog circuits via stochastic pattern search," IEEE Trans CAD, Volume 19, Issue 6, June 2000. pdf
  • R. Phelps, M. Krasnicki, R.A. Ruenbar, L.R. Carley, J.R. Hellums, "A case study of synthesis for industrial-scale analog IP: redesign of the equalizer/filter frontend for an ADSL CODEC," Proc ACM/IEEE Design Automation Conference, June 2000. pdf
  • G.G. E. Gielen, R.A. Rutenbar, "Computer-aided design of analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits," Proceedings of the IEEE, Volume 88, Issue 12, Dec. 2000. pdf
  • D. Leenaerts, G.G.E. Gielen, R.A. Rutenbar, "CAD solutions and outstanding challenges for mixed-signal and RFIC design," Proc. ACM/IEEE Int'l Conf on CAD, Nov 2001. pdf
  • Rob A. Rutenbar , Brian A. Antao , Georges G. E. Gielen, Computer-Aided Design of Analog Integrated Circuits and Systems, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, NY, 2002. ISBN:047122782X.
  • R. A. Rutenbar, "CAD & Methodology for Design of Cell-Level Analog Building Blocks," Tutorial given at 2000 European Solid State Circuits Conference (ESSCIRC), Oct 2000. pdf
  • R.A. Rutenbar, "CAD Techniques to Automate Analog Cell Design," Tutorial given at ACM/IEEE Design Automation Conference, June 2001. pdf
  • R.A. Rutenbar, "Design for Leading-Edged Mixed-Signal ICs -- Analog Intellectual Property: Why, When, How," Invited Tutorial given at 2001 HOTCHIPS Symposium, August 2001. pdf
  • R.A. Rutenbar, "Emerging Tools for Analog & Mixed-Signal: The Role of Synthesis and Analog Intellectual Property," Tutorial given at DATE 2003 Master Course: Design and Design Methods for RF/Mixed-Signal Integrated Systems, DATE 2003, March 2003. pdf
  • R.A. Rutenbar, "Design Automation for Analog: The Next Generation of Tool Challenges," 1st IBM Academy Conference on Analog Design, Technology, Modeling and Tools, IBM T.J. Watson Research Labs, Sept. 2006. pdf