Tutorial: Vmin Constraints & Optimization in VLSI Circuit Design

With growing demand for energy efficiency, the ability to achieve lower minimum operating voltages (Vmin) will be a key enabler in future VLSI systems. Vmin for a given design depends on factors such as performance and energy targets, variability margins, and package limitations, the relative importance of which can vary widely between applications. This tutorial reviews Vmin constraints that are relevant to VLSI circuit designers and summarizes methods to overcome these issues to improve Vmin. Topics to be covered include Vmin constraints and optimization techniques spanning frequency, functionality, package, energy/op, and reliability considerations.