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  3. annotating switching activity

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annotating switching activity

alexsieh
alexsieh over 16 years ago

Dear fellows,

 Please shine some light in how I should annotate switching activity with TCF properly.

I used "dumptcf -internal" to create a tcf file from my testbench simulation. I did not set any scope, so the tcf file annotates all of the switching activites of my DUT and of my testbench. Thats ok rite? I am assuming the RTL Compiler will ignore the switching activity recorded from my testbench and use only the numbers regarding the DUT instances. After I read the tcf file in RC and synthesize my DUT, I noticed that in the power report, some negative numbers came out.

Question1. Why does Cadence allow negative dynamic power in its report? Does it make sense?

Then, I generated tcf files using "dumptcf -internal -scope .." to each hierachical instance of my DUT. In RC, I performed multiple commands "read_tcf ...", but the numbers do not add to what the non-scoped tcf file first gave me. The power analysis came out to be much lower even though I read the tcf files of each DUT instance.

Question2. Can i have RTL Compiler make multiple tcf reads? Does it override the previous read tcf?

Hope yall can help me! Sincerely,

Alex

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  • alexsieh
    alexsieh over 16 years ago
    Ok... Thanks

    GE meaning Gate Equivalent.
    A tech library usually defines GE to be its smallest standard cell (for example, a NAND2x1).
    Then, the physical area of the other standard cells (like AOI2x1, flip-flop, etc) can be given in terms of GEs.

    area of NAND2x1 == 1 GE
    area of AOI2x1    == 12.5 GEs


    Sincerely,
    Alexander Sieh
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  • alexsieh
    alexsieh over 16 years ago
    Ok... Thanks

    GE meaning Gate Equivalent.
    A tech library usually defines GE to be its smallest standard cell (for example, a NAND2x1).
    Then, the physical area of the other standard cells (like AOI2x1, flip-flop, etc) can be given in terms of GEs.

    area of NAND2x1 == 1 GE
    area of AOI2x1    == 12.5 GEs


    Sincerely,
    Alexander Sieh
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    • Vote Up 0 Vote Down
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