Patent ID: 7467369

Claim:
A computer implemented method for managing constraints for detailed placement transforms, the computer implemented method comprising: computing delay constraint coefficients for a data set using data from a static timing analysis and from legal physical placement data, wherein the data set includes nets; computing a net weight for each net in the data set; computing a weighted total wire length for the data set; assigning a user configurable move limit for a set of cells, wherein the set of cells connect to a set of critical nets in the data set; creating move cells by moving a subset of cells according to a detailed placement transform; sliding the move cells to make a legal placement; identifying a subset of nets that are changed by the legal placement of the move cells; computing a half perimeter wire length change for each output net that is a member of the subset of nets; computing a Manhattan distance change for each source-sink gate pair within the move cells to form a transformed data set; determining whether the user configurable move limit has been exceeded; computing a weighted total wire length incremented value for the transformed data set; restoring move cells to an original placement in the data set if the weighted total wire length incremented value of the transformed data set comprises a zero or positive value; evaluating arrival time constraints, electrical constraints, and user configurable move limits if the weighted total wire length incremented value of the transformed data set comprises a negative value; and responsive to a violation of at least one constraint in a set of constraints, restoring the move cells to an original placement in the data set.