An efficient method for hot-spot identification in ULSI circuits

In this paper, we present a method to efficiently identify the on-chip hot spots in ULSI circuits. A set of mathematical formulae were derived in analytical forms so that local temperature information can be fetched quickly. These formulae were based on the Green´s function and error function approximation, and the resulting equations were further simplified to a tractable level by asserting different constraints. Experimental result shows that this method is able to accurately locate the hot spots with little time complexity. It is particularly useful for temperature-driven circuit macro placement in the early chip design phase, for which a large number of design iterations are needed and simulation efficiency is required.