Patent ID: 7669154

Claim:
A timing analysis method to perform a verification of the propagation timing of two signals between signal paths, the method comprising: (a) obtaining a delay value of a signal propagating through a signal path selected as a candidate for timing analysis; (b) obtaining, a random variation amount of the delay value through the signal path, which is a root-mean-square value of variation amounts of gate circuit stages forming the signal path based on a statistical property of additivity of variance; (c) obtaining, based on the delay value and the random variation amount, a most severe variation amount between the two signals in a most severe operating condition; (d) obtaining a respective most severe variation coefficient for each of the signals by allocation of the most severe variation amount to the two signals according to the most severe operating condition; (e) allocating, based on the most severe variation coefficient, a respective individual variation coefficient for each of the gate circuits; and (f) performing, based on the individual variation coefficient, by a timing analysis tool, wherein the most severe operating condition is a condition that allowable degree of a set-up property and/or a hold property decreases due to a power source voltage and/or an operating temperature under a slowest operating condition and/or a fastest operating condition of the set-up property and/or the hold property, and wherein the most severe variation amount is a variation amount obtained under the most severe operating condition.