Computer aided conceptual design of multichip systems

The conceptual/specification phase of multichip system design is discussed. The automation of conceptual design practices will decrease design and manufacturing risks by allowing system designers to view the entire performance space early in the design cycle prior to the initiation of traditional physical design activities. A software tool which performs interdisciplinary tradeoff analysis and partitioning for multichip systems including multichip modules and traditional assembly approaches is presented. The tool concurrently computes physical, electrical, thermal, reliability, testability, and cost-performance metrics for multichip systems. The use of the tool allows a large fraction of the possible design, technology, material, test, and manufacturing approaches to be explored before decisions are made and resources committed