Patent ID: 8079002

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: computer-readable storage containing: a database that includes layout information representing a layout within an integrated circuit of an electrical circuit, the integrated circuit having external pads and electro-static discharge (ESD) elements; wherein the database has a first section containing schematic information representing a circuit schematic for the electrical circuit and a second section containing the layout information for the electrical circuit; and computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause: identifying from the schematic information in the database, conductive paths from the external pads of the integrated circuit to the electro-static discharge (ESD) elements in the electrical circuit; extracting layout information describing the electrical circuit from the layout information in the database; for each conductive path identified from the schematic information, identifying a corresponding network and a corresponding portion of the network in the extracted layout information; calculating an associated resistance for each conductive path as a function of the layout information of the identified corresponding portion of the network for that conductive path; determining whether the associated resistance of each conductive path exceeds a threshold; and outputting data indicative of each conductive path having the associated resistance determined to exceed the threshold.