Patent ID: 7703059

Claim:
A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a method for creating and placing a floor-plan region, said method comprising: receiving design information for an integrated circuit, said integrated circuit being comprised of a plurality of modules and said design information including connectivity information regarding said plurality of modules; calculating an area estimate for a module of said plurality of modules from said received design information, the area estimate excluding the area of a fixed cell or blockage within said module; selecting a module to place within a region suitable for encompassing said module; calculating region size for the region suitable for encompassing said module by utilizing said area estimate calculated for said module; determining region dimensions for said region; selecting an initial region placement by utilizing received connectivity information for said module, the initial region placement positioned in proximity to a fixed cell without encapsulating said fixed cell; providing region parameter adjustment, further including: determining a region utilization level; increasing the region utilization level to a maximum utilization level, further including: reducing said region dimensions until the maximum utilization level is reached; determining a number of blockages or fixed cells having one or more horizontal edge components exposed into a region; determining a number of blockages or fixed cells having one or more vertical edge components exposed into a region; and increasing at least one of a vertical dimension component or a horizontal dimension component of said region to exclude the blockages or fixed cells and decreasing the other of the at least one of a vertical dimension component or a horizontal dimension component to maintain the area of said region; scanning said region having said adjusted region parameters to detect a fixed cell horizontal or vertical edge exposure or a blockage present within said region; and, if a fixed cell horizontal or vertical edge exposure or a blockage is present within the region, increasing the region utilization level and reducing said region dimensions until the increased utilization level is reached; and providing placement of said region having said adjusted region parameters.