A new physical verification reporting solution smooths the on-time tapeout effort
In the intricate world of system-on-chip (SoC) development, Physical Verification (PV) reports serve as vital checkpoints throughout the iterative final design verification process. These reports document the status of the current iteration at various levels of abstraction for different members of the design team, providing essential insights needed for an on-time tapeout. However, as with many aspects of IC design, even the PV reporting comes with challenges that can threaten the tapeout schedule.
Chief among the challenges is how the lack of standardization in reporting methodologies hampers efficient and accurate communication. Different stakeholders may interpret the term “report” differently, leading to confusion and misalignment. Compounding this issue is the complex and time-consuming nature of establishing a reporting infrastructure. Design teams may struggle to adopt efficient reporting mechanisms due to the daunting task of overcoming disparities in reporting methodologies. This can be an issue within a single design company, exacerbated when 3rd parties are involved.
To address these challenges, the Calibre RVE results viewer offers a standardized HTML reporting solution for DRC and other flows with ASCII result databases. Calibre RVE’s reporting incorporates automation with customization, allowing for PV results to be easily communicated to all levels of stakeholders, from project managers to SoC owners to block owners. Figure 1 shows the menu for creating an HTML report in the Calibre RVE results viewer and options for configuring the report.
By placing control over PV status reporting into the hands of each member of the design team, this solution streamlines the reporting process while enhancing the capacity for customized and reusable results reporting, aiding the effort for an on-time tapeout.
While PV reports are highly useful assets for SoC development, the challenges of developing and maintaining a standardized reporting infrastructure can be off-putting. By leveraging solutions like Calibre RVE’s HTML reporting, design teams can overcome the challenges of disparate reporting methodologies and foster clearer communication, ultimately driving successful and on-time IC design from concept to reality.
Learn more about the Calibre RVE automated HTML reporting in this technical paper: Automated HTML reporting improves and standardizes design verification results reporting
