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Backend (Physical Design) Interview Questions and Answers GG
Backend (Physical Design) Interview Questions and Answers GG
Below are the sequence of questions asked for a physical design engineer.
Leakage current of a gate is dependant on its inputs also. Hence find the set
of inputs which gives least leakage. By applyig this minimum leakage vector
to a circuit it is possible to decrease the leakage current of the circuit when
it is in the standby mode. This method is known as input vector controlled
method of leakage reduction.
-Clock gating
-Architectural improvements
If you have both IR drop and congestion how will you fix it?
-Spread macros
Is increasing power line width and providing more number of straps are the only
solution to IR drop?
-Spread macros
In a reg to reg path if you have setup problem where will you insert buffer-near
to launching flop or capture flop? Why?
(buffers are inserted for fixing fanout voilations and hence they reduce
setup voilation; otherwise we try to fix setup voilation with the sizing of
cells; now just assume that you must insert buffer !)
Because there may be other paths passing through or originating from the
flop nearer to lauch flop. Hence buffer insertion may affect other paths
also. It may improve all those paths or degarde. If all those paths have
voilation then you may insert buffer nearer to launch flop provided it
improves slack.
-It may be low power target-because you had more dynamic and leakage
power
-It may be CTS-because you needed to handle multiple clocks and clock
domain crossings
-It may be timing-because sizing cells in ECO flow is not meeting timing
Switching of the signal in one net can interfere neigbouring net due to cross
coupling capacitance.This affect is known as cros talk. Cross talk may lead
setup or hold voilation.
-High frequency noise (or glitch)is coupled to VSS (or VDD) since shilded
layers are connected to either VDD or VSS.
Why double spacing and multiple vias are used related to clock?
Why clock?-- because it is the one signal which chages it state regularly and
more compared to any other signal. If any other signal switches fast then
also we can use double space.