Patent ID: 8423341

Claim:
A computer-implemented method of constructing a corner model for multiple performance targets for circuit simulations, comprising: identifying N, where N is an integer≧2, device and/or circuit performance targets F 1 , F 2 , . . . , F N , and obtaining their correlation matrix R N×N using Monte Carlo simulations, analyzing measured hardware data, or using the linear sensitivities of the N performance targets on M statistical model parameters; establishing a formalism of calculating a normalized joint probability density (JPD); setting a set of threshold values for normalized joint probability densities; determining the smallest number J of corner models needed to represent K-σ lower or upper bounds of the N performance targets where K is a number that sets an accumulated probability target; for each corner model of said J corner models, determining which performance targets it represents; constructing, using a computer, an optimal common corner solution for each of J corner models by maximizing normalized joint probability density among all possible common corner solutions for that corner; wherein setting a set of threshold values for normalized joint probability densities comprises setting p th ⁡ ( N ) = exp ⁡ ( - 1 2 ⁢ f ⁡ ( N ) ⁢ K 2 ) , where ƒ(N) is a proper monotonic increasing function of N and p th (N) is a normalized joint probability density corresponding to middle benchmark value; and storing the corner model and corner solution on the computer or a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium.