Research On The IC Engineering And Technology Of IP Quality Assessment And Measurement

Integrated Circuit, which plays a key role in the modern electronic and information technology, has a deep influence on the national and economic security. With the rapid development of semiconductor process technology, the reuse-based SoC design methodology has become a predominant paradigm in the IC design industry today. However, just like other industries, such new technology could not get a scientific evolution unless it is directed by an engineering science. The Engineering Science for IC has been proposed in this dissertation. Topics in the dissertation only emphasize on the system structure and process of this engineering theory. The IP qualification processing and the quality metric methodology are elaborately involved under the engineering science framework as well.This dissertation is supported by the following projects: the project of 'Interface of VLSI IP Core and Related Design Technology' (No. 863-SoC-Y-3-l) and 'Research on the Key Design Methodology and Environment of High-performance CPU and SoC: Technology of Assessment and Measurement for VLSI IP' (No. 2002AA1Z1733) sponsored by China National High Technology Research and Development Program, the project of 'Research on the Technical Standard for VLSI IP' (No. 2002BA906A07) sponsored by the Special Research Program for Key Standards of the Ministry of Science and Technology of the PRC. The main work and achievements are as follows:1. The concept of IC Engineering is proposed in this dissertation, which makes reference to the methodology of the Software Engineering. At the same time, a PED model for SoC engineering process is established in the dissertation based on the research of the design methodology of Platform-based SoC and IP-reuse. The concept provides a framework for systematizing things in disorder in the Integrated Circuits design industry.2. A further research on IP qualification and related measurement technology in the SoC engineering is involved. As a result, an IP quality definition is proposed, and a math modeling methodology is used for IP qualification. The designer can employ a quantitative process for analysis, controlling and improvement of engineering production by using the model, which has a strong capability to describe the process of emerging, evolution and removal of faults. By using the methodology, the target of improving the product quality can be achieved.A hierarchical quality metric model for IP module is proposed in this dissertation. A framework and basic methodology of the IP quality metric standard are provided based on the model. The IP qualification model can be used as a reference for the national 'Silicon IP Standardization Working Group' to establish the criteria for IP qualification.A methodology of developing an automatic IP quality platform using the script language is aiso proposed in the dissertation, and the practicability and validity of the platform has been proved by using it into an industrial project.3. A definition of IP reusability is given and the types of the IP-reuse are listed. Furthermore, a taxonomy for IP reusability metric and assessment is proposed, which can help to choose a most appropriate methodology. Also presented is a metric method of black-box applicable for customers and neutral certification organizations.The dissertation provides several valuable empirical metrics to evaluate soft IPs and shows how to use it to do the qualitative and quantitative analysis for a real case. Theoretical and experimental results have all proved that there exists strong relationship between the selected metrics and the reusability. Based on the research for the existing IP evaluating methods,an improved way to evaluate soft IP reusability is given,which shows an obvious improvement in scoring method and result dates,comparing with the existing method.This research can be a theoretical basis for national level projects such as "VLSI IP development infrastructure platform" of the Ministry of Information Industry of the PRC.4. As an example for the Engineering...