Fixing Setup and Hold Violation : Static Timing Analysis (STA) Basic ( Part 6b)

How To Solve Setup and Hold Violation.. continue...

STA & SI:: Chapter 2: Static Timing Analysis
2.1	2.2	2.3a	2.3b	2.3c	2.4a
Timing Paths	Time Borrowing	Basic Concept Of Setup-Hold	Basic Concept of Setup-Hold Violation	Examples:S-H Time/Violation	Timing Path Delay
2.4b	2.4c	2.5a	2.5b	2.6a	2.6b
Interconnect Delay Models	Delay - Wire Load Model	Maximum Clock Frequency	Calculate “Max Clock Freq”-Examples	Fix Setup-Hold Violation-1	Fix Setup-Hold Violation-2
2.6c	2.7a	2.7b	2.7c	2.8
Fix Setup-Hold Violation-3	Incr/Decr Delay Method-1	Incr/Decr Delay Method-2	Incr/Decr Delay Method-3	10 ways to fix Setup-Hold Violation.

Static Timing analysis is divided into several parts:

• Part1 -> Timing Paths
• Part2 -> Time Borrowing
• Part 3a -> Basic Concept Of Setup and Hold
• Part 3b -> Basic Concept of Setup and Hold Violation
• Part 3c -> Practical Examples for Setup and Hold Time / Violation
• Part 4a -> Delay - Timing Path Delay
• Part 4b -> Delay - Interconnect Delay Models
• Part 4c -> Delay - Wire Load Model
• Part 5a -> Maximum Clock Frequency
• Part 5b -> Examples to calculate the “Maximum Clock Frequency” for different circuits.
• Part 6a -> How to solve Setup and Hold Violation (basic example)
• Part 6b -> Continue of  How to solve Setup and Hold Violation (Advance examples)
• Part 6c ->  Continue of  How to solve Setup and Hold Violation (more advance examples)
• Part 7a -> Methods for Increase/Decrease the Delay of Circuit (Effect of Wire Length On the Slew)
• Part 7b -> Methods for Increase/Decrease the Delay of Circuit (Effect of Size of the Transistor On the Slew)
• Part 7c -> Methods for Increase/Decrease the Delay of Circuit (Effect of Threshold voltage On the Slew)
• Part 8 -> 10 ways to fix Setup and Hold Violation.

In the last part/post we have discussed 2 examples with different specifications (Both net delay and Tck2Q were ideal means 0ns) and come to know that for Violation free Circuit, following conditions should be satisfied.

Min delay of Combinational path > Hold time of Capture FF.

Max delay of Combinational path < Clock Period - Setup time of Capture FF.

Clock Period >= Setup time + Hold time.

In this post we will discuss few more examples with more restrictions. Like 

• What if we can’t reduce the Delay of Data path?

Let’s consider the following figure common to all examples until unless it’s specified

Example 3:

Specification of the FF Circuit
Setup	Hold	Clock period	Tck2q delay	Net Delay	Combinational Logic Delay
3ns	2ns	10ns	0ns (Ideal)	0ns (Ideal)	5ns (can’t be further reduced).

On the basic of last post …let’s start with checking few conditions directly.

Clock Period Condition: (Satisfied)

Setup time +Hold time = 5ns

Clock period = 10ns

Clock Period > Setup time +Hold time (10> 5)

Min delay / Hold Condition:  (Satisfied)

Combinational Delay (5ns) > Hold time.

Means - NO HOLD VIOLATION

Max Delay / Setup Condition: (Satisfied)

Combinational delay (5ns) < Clock period (10ns) – Setup (3ns)

Means - NO SETUP VIOLATION.

This example is just to refresh your memories about the previous post.

Example 4:

Specification of the FF Circuit
Setup	Hold	Clock period	Tck2q delay	Net Delay	Combinational Logic Delay
4ns	3ns	10ns	0ns (Ideal)	0ns (Ideal)	8ns (can’t be further reduced).

Clock Period Condition: (Satisfied)

Setup time +Hold time = 4ns+3ns = 7ns

Clock period = 10ns

Clock Period > Setup time + Hold time (10 > 7)

Min delay / Hold Condition:  (Satisfied)

Combinational Delay (8ns) > Hold time (3ns)

Means - NO HOLD VIOLATION

Max Delay / Setup Condition: (Not Satisfied)

Combinational delay (8ns) Is Not Less Than “Clock period (10ns) – Setup (4ns)”

Means - SETUP VIOLATION.

Since we can’t change this Combinational delay and also Setup time for the FF, so we have to think something else. J. Since we can’t touch the data path, we can try with clock path.

Flow of the data from FF1 to FF2:

• Let’s assume that you have added one buffer of T_capture delay in the clock path between the FF1 and FF2.
• Data is going to launch from FF1 at Clock Edge at 0ns and it will reach to FF2 after 8ns (combinational logic delay only).
• This data is going to capture at FF2 at Clock Edge at 10ns+T_capture. (because of Delay added by Buffer).
• As per the Setup definition, data should be stable 4ns (Setup time of FF2) before the Clock Edge at FF2 and in the above case clock edge is at t=T_capture+10ns.

So, for No Setup violation:

=> 8ns (Combinational Delay) < T_capture+10ns (clock period) – 4ns (Setup Time of FF2)

=> 12ns – 10ns < T_capture

=> T_capture > 2ns.

Let’s assume if my T_capture = 3ns. Then NO SETUP VIOLATION.

Now, recheck the Hold violation.

• At the FF1 – second set of data is going to launch at t=10ns and it will reach the FF2 in another 8ns, means at t=18ns.
  
• This second set of data is going to update/override the first set of data present at FF2. 
• As per the Hold Definition, data should be stable till 3ns (Hold time of FF2) after the clock edge at FF2 (Which is at t=10ns+3ns=13ns – where 3ns is the T_capture). 
• That means Data should be remain stable till t=13ns+3ns=16ns. 
• In the above case the second set of data is going to override only after t=18ns. That means first set of data remain Stable till 16ns. Means NO HOLD VIOLATION.

Let me Generalize this concept:

I am sure, few people may have question that what will happen if we will add the buffer in the Launch path. Let’s discuss that. Please consider the following Diagram for this. In this Launch Clock path has a buffer with a delay of “T_launch” and Capture clock path has another buffer of delay “T_capture”.

Specification of the FF Circuit
Setup	T_setup
Hold	T_hold
Clock Period	Clk_period
Tck2q Delay	0 (Ideal)
Net Delay	0 (Ideal)
Combinational Logic Delay (b/w 2FFs)	Td
Launch Clock path Delay	T_launch
Capture Clock path Delay	T_capture

Let’s understand the data flow from FF1 to FF2 

• Data is going to launch from FF1 at Clock Edge at T_launch and it will reach to FF2 after Td (combinational logic delay only) that means t= “Td + T_launch”. 
• This data is going to capture at FF2 at Clock Edge at “Clk_period + T_capture” 
• As per the Setup definition, data should be stable “T_setup” (Setup time of FF2) time before the Clock Edge at FF2 
• Means data should reach at FF2 before t= “Clk_period + T_capture – T_setup”.

So For NO SETUP VIOLATION:

=> T_launch + Td < Clk_period + T_capture – T_setup

=> Td < Clk_Period + (T_capture - T_launch) – T_setup

• At the FF1 – second set of data is going to launch at t= “Clk_Period + T_launch” and it will reach the FF2 in another Td, means at t=” Clk_Period + Td + T_launch”.
• This second set of data is going to update/override the first set of data present at FF2.
• As per the Hold Definition, data should be stable till “T_hold” (Hold time of FF2) time after the Clock edge (which is at t= “Clk_Period + T_capture”).
• Means Next set of data should not reach FF2 before t= “Clk_Period + T_capture + T_hold”

So For NO HOLD VIOLATION:

=> Clk_Period + Td + T_launch >  Clk_Period + T_capture + T_hold

=> Td >  (T_capture -  T_launch ) + T_hold

Summary of this post:

Clock Period Condition:

Clock period > Setup time + Hold Time

Max Delay/ Setup Condition:

Td < Clk_Period + (T_capture - T_launch) – T_setup

Min Delay / Hold Condition:

Td >  (T_capture -  T_launch ) + T_hold

In the next part we will discuss

• More examples which will explain the above conditions in more details.
• How to fix the Setup and hold violation, if we can neither decrease nor increase the Delay in the Data path?