Fast power density aware three‐dimensional integrated circuit floorplanning for hard macroblocks using best operator combination genetic algorithm

Abstract

AbstractIn this article, we propose a fast three‐dimensional integrated circuit (3D‐IC) floorplanning method for hard macroblocks that includes a thermal management scheme. It applies a genetic algorithm constituted by an optimal combination of crossover and mutation operations to identify the optimal solution for design variables, namely, total wire length, number of through‐silicon vias (TSVs), and maximum average layer power density. The proposed method additionally makes use of a unique TSV placement scheme that arranges TSVs next to their respective functional blocks. To enable efficient heat transmission to the ambient environment, layers with higher power densities are placed closer to the heat sink. The proposed 3D‐IC floorplanning approach provides the fewest TSVs, the lowest peak temperature, and promising values of wire length within the least amount of computation time. Compared to the recent fast thermal analysis for fixed‐outline 3D‐floorplanning, it generates 13.14% shorter wire length, 39.27% lower peak temperature, and 34.35% lesser number of TSVs on average with significant improvement in computation time, while analyzing GSRC thermal benchmark circuits.