Statistical STA: Crosstalk Aspect

Timing sign off (closure) is performed by using timing analysis tools for calculating delays in design logical paths. Tools like PrimeTime (PT) and PT-SI use Static Timing Analysis (STA) approach that may become conservative when each stage delay includes the mean delay value plus delay variance (delta), which depends on process, voltage, temperature (PVT) and crosstalk variations. This paper presents statistical timing analysis including the crosstalk. It discuses a new statistical approach that considers probabilities of crosstalk deltas and reduces timing conservatism while preserving chip functionality for a given long time of chip work before a possible failure due to crosstalk.