LEX - A Cell Switching Arcs Extractor: A Simple SPICE-Input Interface for Electrical Characterization

The characterization of logic cells is a critical step in the design of digital circuits. Existing open-source cell characterization tools typically require significant extra information beyond the SPICE netlist. In this paper, we present a new open-source tool - LEX - that serves as a very useful interface for these characterization tools, enabling the extraction of essential input and output information, Boolean expressions, truth tables, and transition (switching) arcs directly from the SPICE netlist. Our LEX tool offers several advantages over existing open-source methods. First, it simplifies the cell electrical characterization process by eliminating the need for manual input of additional information. This saves time and reduces the incidence of errors. Second, our tool provides a more comprehensive set of information than existing tools, including Boolean expressions and truth tables. Third, LEX is highly flexible and can be integrated with a wide range of existing open-source cell characterization tools. We conducted experiments using a test set of netlists to demonstrate LEX effectiveness. By providing a more comprehensive set of information, eliminating the need for manual input of additional information, and improving efficiency, our tool offers a powerful new option to be integrated into already existing and future open-source characterization tools.