Patent ID: 8504967

Claim:
A method comprising: determining, on a computer that includes a description of an integrated circuit including a segment of power switches, a power switch configuration for the segment, wherein the determining comprises selecting power switch cells from a plurality of predesigned power switch cells in a library stored on the computer, wherein the selecting is responsive to the power switch configuration, wherein each power switch cell of the plurality of predesigned power switch cells includes an interconnect between the power switch cells for the area occupied by that power switch cell, wherein a first power switch cell of the plurality of predesigned power switch cells includes one or more first transistors controlled by a first enable signal and one or more second transistors controlled by a second enable signal, and wherein the first transistors have a first size that is less than a second size of the second transistors, and wherein a second power switch cell of the plurality of predesigned power switch cells includes one or more third transistors having the first size but excludes a connection to the first enable signal for the one or more third transistors, and wherein the first enable signal is routed through the second power switch cell on the interconnect of the second power switch cell to connect to the interconnect of a third power switch cell in the segment; and placing, by the computer in the description of the integrated circuit, the selected power switch cells to form the segment, wherein abutting power switch cells automatically connects the cells via the interconnect included in the selected power switch cells, the abutting power switch cells forming an electrical connection via contact between the interconnect included in the abutting power switch cells to form a conductive path between the abutting cells in the interconnect.