Voltus^TM IC Power Integrity Solution is a power integrity and analysis signoff solution that is integrated with the full suite of design implementation and signoff tools of Cadence to deliver the industry’s fastest design closure flow. The aim of this blog series is to broadcast the voices of different experts on how design engineers can effectively use the diverse Voltus technologies to achieve high-performance, accuracy, and capacity for next-gen chip designs.

Finding the information you need could turn out to be a daunting task when there is so much going on in today’s fast-paced world. You might have experienced such a situation especially when trying to find information about a newly introduced flow or feature, where you are faced with a lot of information contained across multiple sources, including documentation. In such scenarios, finding specific content, especially the “getting started” information, could be time-consuming. Here’s where the task assistant comes to your aid. With the implementation of the task assistant in Voltus^TM for ESD analysis, you can get to the relevant information you need quickly regardless of whether you’re running the tool from the CLI or GUI mode. This blog is aimed at giving you an overview of the task assistant implementation so that you can make the most out of it!

What is ESD Analysis Task Assistant?

ESD Analysis task assistant is an in-tool help access medium that offers quick resolutions to relevant ESD questions. So, whether you’re a novice or an expert user of the ESD analysis flow, the task assistant will help you get the work done faster. It is designed to help you with the getting started questions, such as the ESD rules, command and rule file syntax, that include the following:

• What is the format of the rule file containing the ESD checks?
• What is the use model of the ESD analysis command?
• Can I run ESD analysis in the early design phase?
• How do I filter the bumps and clamps with high effective resistance?
• How do I load the ESD results directory?

In addition, the task assistant serves as a launchpad that guides you to the most relevant and detailed sections of the documentation and other useful knowledge collateral, such as real-time examples, videos, RAKs, and application notes.

Its benefits can be summed up by the 3 S's:

Read on to know how!

How to Access the Task Assistant?

You can access the task assistant in both the CLI and GUI modes.

• If you are working in the CLI mode, specify the -ta or -task_assistant parameter of the analyze_esd_network command.

• If you are working in the GUI mode, click the Help button on the ESD Summary form.

The task assistant displays contextual content based on the access mode used: When the task assistant is accessed via the CLI mode, it provides answers to common questions, such as the format of the rule file, and supported ESD checks. When the task assistant is accessed via the GUI mode, it answers common questions about prerequisites for viewing ESD analysis results, loading results, or sorting and filtering capabilities for large data. 

How to Explore More Information from the Task Assistant Interface?

Task assistant functions as an intermediate content access point, and seamlessly integrates with Cadence Help making it easier to refer to more detailed information about ESD Analysis when required. You can click the link under 'related content' to directly access the detailed information. The implementation is such that you can easily switch between the task assistant and Cadence Help interfaces.

In addition to providing seamless integration with Cadence Help to serve your information needs, the task assistant provides you a host of other access points via separate buttons to access useful knowledge collateral, such as What's New, Known Problems and Solutions (KPNS), and the videos available on Cadence Support.

To get more insight into the features of the task assistant, watch the following getting started video: Voltus ESD Analysis: Task Assistant.

Hope this blog post helped you appreciate how the task assistant brings together all the relevant “getting started” content at your fingertips. So, you now know where to start from to get answers to your how’s and why’s of ESD analysis!      

Related Resources

For more information on Cadence digital design and signoff products and services, visit www.cadence.com/go/voltushs.

About Voltus Voice

“Voltus Voice” showcases our product capabilities and features, and how they empower engineers to meet time-to-market goals for the complex, advanced-node SoCs that are designed for next-gen smart devices. In this monthly blog series, we also share important news, developments, and updates from the Voltus space.