Pre-layout estimation of individual wire lengths

TLDR: There is inherent variability in wire lengths obtained using commer- cially available place and route tools - wire length estimation error cannot be any smaller than a lower limit due to this variability, and the proposed model works well within these variability limitations.

Abstract: We present a novel technique for es- timating individual wire lengths in a given standard- cell-based design during the technology mapping phase of logic synthesis. The proposed method is based on creating a black box model of the place and route tool as a function of a number of parame- ters which are all available before layout. The place and route tool is characterized, only once, by apply- ing it to a set of typical designs in a certain technol- ogy. We also propose a net bounding box estimation technique based on the layout style and net neigh- borhood analysis. We show that there is inherent variability in wire lengths obtained using commer- cially available place and route tools - wire length estimation error cannot be any smaller than a lower limit due to this variability. The proposed model works well within these variability limitations.