Wire Delay

Definition: Wire delay is the time taken for a signal to propagate through an interconnect in an integrated circuit.

Key Points:

  • Increasingly significant in advanced technology nodes
  • Can dominate gate delay in long interconnects
  • Affects timing closure and overall chip performance

Factors Affecting Wire Delay:

  • Length of the wire
  • Resistance and capacitance of the interconnect
  • Driver strength
  • Load capacitance

Mitigation Techniques:

  • Repeater insertion
  • Wire sizing
  • Optimal routing
  • Use of low-k dielectrics

Importance:

  • Critical for timing analysis and optimization
  • Key consideration in floorplanning and placement
  • Impacts clock distribution and signal integrity

Managing wire delay is essential for achieving performance targets in modern VLSI designs.