12

PRIMETIME BASICS

PrimeTime (PT) is a sign-off quality static timing analysis tool from

Synopsys. Static timing analysis or STA is without a doubt the most
important step in the design flow. It determines whether the design works at
the required speed. PT analyzes the timing delays in the design and flags
violation that must be corrected.

PT, similar to DC, provides a GUI interface along with the command-line
interface. The GUI interface contains various windows that help analyze the
design graphically. Although the GUI interface is a good starting point, most
users quickly migrate to using the command-line interface. Therefore, the
intent of this chapter is to focus solely on the command-line interface of PT.

This chapter introduces to the reader, the basics of PT including a brief

section devoted to Tcl language that is used by PT. Also described in this
chapter are selected PT commands that are used to perform successful STA,
and also facilitate the designer in debugging the design for possible timing
violations.
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12.1 Introduction

PT is a stand-alone tool that is not integrated under the DC suite of tools. It is

a separate tool, which works alongside DC. Both PT and DC have consistent
commands, generate similar reports, and support common file formats. In
addition PT can also generate timing assertions that DC can use for synthesis
and optimization. PT’s command-line interface is based on the industry-
standard language called Tcl. In contrast to DC’s internal STA engine, PT is
faster, takes up less memory, and has additional features.

12.1.1 Invoking PT

PT may be invoked in the command-line mode using the command pt_shell

or in the GUI mode through the command primetime.

Command-line mode:
> pt_shell

GUI-mode:
> primetime

12.1.2 PrimeTime Environment

Upon invocation PT looks for a file called “.synopsys_pt.setup” and includes

it by default. It first searches for this file in the current directory and failing
that, looks for it in the users home directory before using the default setup
file present in the PT installation site. This file contains the necessary setup
variables defining the design environment that are used by PT, exemplified
below:

set search_path [list. /usr/golden/library/std_cells]

set link_path [list {*} ex25_worst.db, ex25_best.db]