Electromigration

IR drop analysis in VLSI explained for physical design engineers: where supply and ground drop come from, static vs dynamic IR drop, vectorless and vector-based analysis, how IR drop affects setup and hold, and how to debug and fix hotspots, with illustrative examples, a flowchart and interview Q&As.

What electromigration is, Black’s equation and the Blech effect, average vs RMS vs peak current limits, worked examples for clock and power nets, where EM is handled in the physical design flow, and how to debug and fix EM violations.

What via pillars and via ladders are, why they matter at advanced nodes, when to insert EM-required and performance pillars, their costs, and how to verify the benefit.