Patent ID: 7275222

Claim:
A method in a data processing system for automatically creating and extending a power distribution system (PDS) in a three-dimensional ceramic integrated circuit package design that includes a plurality of layers where the PDS includes mesh power planes, said method comprising: dividing said entire design into a plurality of cells; storing information in each one of said plurality of cells; for each one of said plurality of cells, said information describing characteristics of a location of said each one of said plurality of cells relative to others of said plurality of cells and describes any via or trace that already passes through said each one of said plurality of cells; automatically locating potential new via and trace locations, utilizing said information, throughout all of said entire package design at a particular time; prior to finding any other potential location for adding vias or traces, finding potential locations where a via can be added to said design that would connect a top layer of said package design to a bottom layer of said package design; after finding potential locations where a via can be added that would connect a top layer of said package design to a bottom layer of said package design, finding potential locations where vias can be added to said design that would connect intermediate layers; and said step of finding potential locations where vias can be added to said design that would connect intermediate layers being executed to find longest via locations first.