SHF: Medium: Say "No" to Extraction--A Transformative Circuit Simulation Paradigm Guided by First Principles

在过去的几十年里，集成电路（IC）已经从以非线性电路为主发展到以线性网络为主，这是因为IC中晶体管和互连的缩放。 然而，主流的电路仿真范式仍然主要由SPICE控制（Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasize），它非常能够解决用于模拟有源器件的非线性函数，但是由于（1）互连的绝对量--每个添加的器件都必须连接，（2）描述互连的模型日益复杂--每增加一个互连都转换成许多电路参数，即，电阻、电容和电感，以及（3）从布局中提取线性网络的电路参数所产生的高度不规则的大规模系统矩阵。 由这样的模型产生的高度不规则的大规模系统矩阵使得现有的电路模拟器不太可能实现最佳复杂性（即，该提案旨在开发一种变革性的电路仿真范式，不仅提供无与伦比的效率，而且提供前所未有的准确性，克服现有仿真框架的缺点。在基于物理学的第一原理的指导下，PI建议绕过提取线性网络的步骤。 直接从布局到仿真，这样的提取免费的方法允许计算的系统矩阵的分解，从而使线性复杂性或最佳的时间和空间的复杂性的电路模拟器，进一步加速实现了一个多核节点或集群的这种节点上的转换电路模拟器的并行实现。 这个项目将提供一个公共领域的电路模拟器，可以充分考虑非线性器件，基板，芯片互连和封装之间的相互作用;从而有助于横切数字，模拟，和射频技术在整个电磁频谱的未来几年。在公共领域的变革电路模拟器的可用性将丰富学习经验未来的电路设计师通过高等教育的管道前进。 此外，与普渡大学的多样性计划合作，将开发嵌入与电路，电磁学和计算相关的基本概念的夏令营项目，以扩大代表性不足的少数民族和女性学生在计算和工程方面的参与。通过本科生和研究生积极参与该项目，并将研究成果整合到本科研究生课程中，学生将在电路，电磁学，数值线性代数和众核计算等领域接受广泛的技能培训。

Over the last few decades, integrated circuits (IC) have progressed from being dominated with nonlinear circuits to being dominated with linear networks because of the scaling of transistors and interconnects in ICs. However, the prevailing circuit simulation paradigm is still heavily dominated by SPICE (Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis), which is very capable of solving nonlinear functions for the simulation of active devices, but has difficulties in keeping up with the growth in the linear network because of (1) the sheer volume of interconnects--every device added has to be connected, (2) the growing sophistication of the models describing the interconnects--every added interconnect translates into many circuit parameters, i.e., resistances, capacitances, and inductances, and (3) the highly irregular large-scale system matrices arising from the extraction of circuit parameters for a linear network from the layout. The highly irregular large-scale system matrices arising from such models make it unlikely for the existing circuit simulator to achieve the optimal complexity (i.e., linear complexity in time and space) in simulation.This proposal seeks to develop a transformative circuit simulation paradigm that offers not only unparalleled efficiency but also unprecedented accuracy, overcoming the shortcomings of the existing simulation frameworks. Guided by physics-based first principles, the PIs propose to bypass the step of the extraction of the linear network. Going directly from layout to simulation, such an extraction-free methodology allows for a computation-free decomposition of the system matrix, thus enabling a circuit simulator of linear complexity or optimal complexity in time and space.Further speedup is achieved with an embarrassingly parallel implementation of the transformative circuit simulator on a many-core node or a cluster of such nodes. This project will deliver a public-domain circuit simulator that can fully account for the interactions between nonlinear devices, substrate, on-die interconnects, and package; thereby contributing to the continued scaling and integration of circuits crosscutting digital, analog, and RF technologies across full electromagnetic spectrum for years to come.The availability of the transformative circuit simulator in the public domain will enrich the learning experience of future circuit designers progressing through the pipeline of higher education. Moreover, in partnership with the diversity programs at Purdue, summer camp projects that embed essential concepts related to circuits, electromagnetics, and computing will be developed to broaden the participation of underrepresented minority and women students in computing and engineering. Through the active involvement of undergraduate and graduate students in the project and the integration of research results into the undergraduate graduate curricula, students will be trained with a broad range of skills, in areas such as circuits, electromagnetics, numerical linear algebra, and many-core computing.