Patent ID: 7606693

Claim:
A computer-implemented circuit simulation method comprising: (a) defining in a computer memory for a circuit a first set of non-linear equations of time-varying electrical responses of devices of the circuit; (b) defining in the computer memory for the circuit a second set of non-linear equations of time-varying temperature responses of the circuit devices; (c) storing in the computer memory initial, DC electrical responses of the circuit devices and initial temperatures of the circuit devices; (d) storing in the computer memory a predicted solution of the first set of equations of the time-varying electrical responses of the circuit devices based on the electrical responses of the circuit devices determined in step (c); (e) utilizing the most recently predicted solution of the first set of equations as a starting point, solving with a processor of the computer the first set of equations of the time-varying electrical responses of the circuit devices utilizing an iterative solution technique that causes the first set of equations to converge to a new solution of the updated electrical responses of the circuit devices, wherein: each iteration of the iterative solution technique determines electrical responses of the circuit devices as a function of temperatures of the circuit devices at the commencement of the iterative solution technique; and the electrical responses determined in one iteration of the iterative solution technique are utilized as the starting electrical responses for the next iteration of the iterative solution technique until the iterative solution technique converges whereupon the electrical responses of the circuit devices that caused said convergence are deemed to be the updated electrical responses of the circuit devices; (f) solving once with the processor a linearized form of the second set of equations of the time-varying temperature responses of the circuit devices to determine updated temperatures of the circuit devices, the second set of equations solved as a function of the new solution of the updated electrical responses of the circuit devices determined in step (e); and (g) causing a display means to display for each of one or more of the circuit devices (1) at least one of the electrical response and/or (2) the updated electrical response(s) thereof.