MOS Circuit Models in Network C

Network C is a programming language designed for constructing simulation models of VLSI circuits and systems. The language, which is a superset of C, supports a range of modeling capabilities including approximate solution of Kirchoff equations at the circuit level and discrete event functional simulation at the system level. When used to model a MOS circuit, the system first decomposes the circuit into a set of independent stages. The values of nodes, represented by piece-wise linear functions, are communicated between stages using discrete event scheduling. The determination of these piece-wise linear functions is based on continuous time calculations. The result of this hybrid approach is a fast simulation capability which maintains enough accuracy to capture both the digital and analog aspects of a circuit's behavior.