What is a Setup and Hold Time Violation?
If you’re involved in chip design, you know how crucial it is to meet setup and hold time requirements. These timing constraints ensure the proper functioning of millions of flip-flops and billions of transistors. When they aren’t met, the chip can enter a metastable state, making it unusable. In this discussion, we’ll explore the methods used in the back-end flow of chip manufacturing to address setup and hold time violations. By understanding these techniques, you’ll be better equipped to design reliable and efficient chips.
A setup time violation occurs when the input signal to a flip-flop or latch is changed too close to the active clock edge. In other words, the input data is not stable for a sufficient duration before the clock transition. This violation can result from various factors, including signal delay, clock skew, or improper design constraints.
The consequences of a setup time violation can be severe. It can lead to metastability issues, where the output of the flip-flop becomes indeterminate. This can cause erroneous data to propagate through the circuit, leading to incorrect results or system failures.
Best ways to avoid and fix Setup Time Violations
To effectively tackle setup time violations, it is imperative to expedite the data path logic or slow down the clock path logic. Here are some recommended methods:
Enhance the setup time constraint of the capture flip-flop For each technology node, fabrication vendors provide multiple libraries with distinct processes, voltages, and temperature settings. As a result, the timing requirements vary for different types of flops within these libraries. When a setup time violation occurs, replacing the capture flop with a flop that has a smaller setup time window can accommodate significant data path delays.
Improve the drive strength of the data path logic Gate output capacitance charges and discharges during transistor operations. By using a flop with increased drive strength, the charging operation becomes faster, thereby expediting the data path logic and alleviating the setup time required for the capture flop.
Reduce the clock-q delay of the launch flop Similar to the setup time requirement, the clock-q delay relies on the specific flop type and the library used. Different flops possess varying clock-q delays. By employing a flop with a smaller clock-q delay for the launch flip-flop, the timing requirement is eased, aiding in the resolution of setup time violations.
Utilize a faster cell for the launch flip-flop Flip-flops are available with different threshold voltages (VT), categorized as LVT (Low VT), SVT (Standard VT), and HVT (High VT). Opting for an LVT flop for the launch flip-flop ensures faster data path logic by reducing transistor switching time. Substituting slower data path cells with faster counterparts can also diminish data path delays and resolve setup time violations.
Reduce the logic delay Apart from replacing SVT and HVT cells with LVT cells, modifying the logic in the register transfer level (RTL) can help reduce logic delay. However, this may result in increased latency, resource utilization, and power consumption. Nevertheless, it effectively addresses timing requirements and mitigates setup time violations.
Minimize long routing wires In an ASIC, various blocks are distributed across the chip. Proper floor planning ensures proximity of memories to the power source, while processors are centrally positioned. During the place and route phase, caution should be exercised to avoid lengthy wire connections between flops in different blocks. Lengthy wires introduce additional logic delay, while direct short connections ease timing requirements.
Increase the clock latency on the capture flop To prevent data loss, the capture flop must sample any toggling net from the launch flop in the subsequent active clock edge. Skew, the difference between the ideal and actual clock positions, arises due to uneven buffers and inverters in the clock path. By increasing skew on the clock path leading to the capture flop, the setup time check is delayed until the clock reaches the capture flop. This adjustment reduces timing requirements and aids in resolving setup time violations along specific paths.
Adjust the clock period In cases where optimization is no longer possible after tape-out, the operating frequency can be lowered by increasing the clock period. This adjustment delays the setup time check, providing sufficient time for data to settle to a stable value before the setup check occurs.
Best ways to avoid and fix hold time violations
Resolving hold time violations revolves around ensuring slower data path logic compared to the clock path logic. Consider the following techniques:
Improve the hold time constraint of the launch flip-flop As previously discussed, different types of flip-flops have varying hold time requirements. By utilizing a flop with a reduced hold time requirement as the launch flip-flop, timing requirements are eased, enabling the resolution of hold time violations, particularly in the presence of significant skew on the launch flop.
Decrease the drive strength of the data path logic Reducing the drive strength of cells within the data path slows down the signal reaching the capture flop. This adjustment prolongs the charging and discharging of the output gate capacitance, effectively addressing hold violations.
Increase the clock-q delay of the launch flip-flop Similar to the previous approach, selecting a flop with a higher clock-q delay introduces delay into the data path logic. This adjustment eases timing requirements and resolves hold time violations.
Utilize a slower cell for the launch flip-flop By substituting LVT and SVT launch flops with HVT flops, signal delay is introduced to the capture flop. The higher threshold voltage of HVT flops ensures a longer turn-on and turn-off time compared to flops with lower or typical threshold voltages.
Introduce additional logic delay Incorporating extra logic elements, such as buffers, within the data path logic increases delay. This adjustment slows down the data path, ensuring it remains slower than the clock path, thereby resolving hold time violations.
Incorporate longer routing paths Rerouting the data path to introduce longer connections between the launch flop and capture flop increases wire delay, ultimately resulting in longer data path logic delay.
Minimize the clock latency on the launch flip-flop Reducing skew on the launch flop minimizes the gap between the ideal and actual clock edges. Excessive skew reduces the time available for data to settle before the active edge of the clock, leading to hold time violations. Thus, minimizing skew is essential to mitigate hold time violations.
Reduce the operating voltage After tape-out, setup time violations can be addressed by reducing the operating frequency. However, hold-time violations are more challenging to resolve. Precautions should be taken during the design phase, such as running simulations using fast corner libraries and higher threshold voltages. In extreme cases, reducing the supply voltage may help rectify hold time violations.
Conclusion
Setup and hold time violations pose significant challenges in chip design, potentially rendering chips non-functional. Employing effective strategies to mitigate these violations is important for ensuring the proper operation of complex chip architectures. By understanding the causes of violations and implementing the recommended techniques discussed in this article, chip designers can optimize timing requirements, resulting in efficient and reliable chip designs.