Patent ID: 7089129

Claim:
A method for performing an electromigration check for conductors with alternating current flow adjacent to conductors with direct current flow in an integrated circuit comprising: determining resistances R WIRE and a capacitance matrix C for the integrated circuit; converting the capacitance matrix C into a thermal conductance matrix G; determining temperature differences ΔT ni between conductors from thermal conductances G thi of the thermal conductance matrix G; approximating power flow P n into conductors with direct current flow due to adjacent conductors with alternating current flow in the integrated circuit from the temperature differences ΔT ni between conductors and the thermal conductances G thi ; determining a power limit as a function of the maximum temperature difference ΔT MAX that ensures reliability of the integrated circuit; performing the electromigration check by limiting power generated in the conductors with alternating current flow to less than the power limit; wherein n and i are conductor numbers; and wherein n, ni and thi are numerical subscripts that identify parameters as associated with conductor n, conductor n and conductor i, and a thermal characteristic of conductor i, respectively.