The care and feeding of your statistical static timer

Abstract

The integrated circuit fabrication process has inevitable imperfections and fluctuations that had resulted in ever-growing systematic and random variations in the electrical parameters of active and passive devices fabricated as stated in S. Nassif (2001). The impact of such variations on various aspects of chip performance has been the subject of numerous recent papers, and techniques for analyzing and dealing with such variability roadly labeled design for manufacturability (DFM) - are emerging from research laboratories to practical implementation and deployment, and several service companies are actively engaged in implementing and promoting DFM techniques amongst semiconductor design and manufacturing organizations.