System and method for analyzing substrate noise is disclosed, which is
capable of accepting inputs of increasing complexity and granularity.
During the early phases, the tool can accept coarse circuit descriptions,
such as gate level netlists. The tool is capable of generating
rudimentary substrate models based on estimated die size, allowing the
designer to have an early indication of potential substrate noise issues.
During the middle phases, the tool can accept more accurate circuit
descriptions, such as a SPICE netlist. A more detailed substrate model
can be generated, which considers layout information, thereby allowing
the designer to make layout and circuit modifications before the circuit
is completed. Lastly, during final verification, the tool can accept an
even more accurate netlist, such as a SPICE netlist that includes
parasitic capacitance. The tool can also accept a more detailed substrate
model and provides the substrate noise analysis necessary to finalize the
design.