Power grid correction using sensitivity analysis

Abstract

Power grid voltage integrity verification requires one to check if all the voltage drops on the grid are less than a certain threshold. This paper addresses the problem of correcting the grid when some voltage drops exceed this threshold, by making minor modifications to the existing design. The method uses current constraints that capture the uncertainty about the underlying circuit behavior to find the maximum voltage drop on the grid, and then to estimate the voltage drop as a function of the metal widths on the grid. It formulates a non-linear optimization problem and finds the required change in widths that reduces the maximum voltage drop below the threshold while keeping the total area cost at a minimum.