IBIS Macromodel Task Group

Meeting date: 31 Jul 2007

Members (asterisk for those attending):
* Ambrish Varma, Cadence Design Systems
* Arpad Muranyi, Mentor Graphics Corp.
  Barry Katz, SiSoft
* Bob Ross, Teraspeed Consulting Group
* David Banas, Xilinx
  Doug White, Cisco Systems
* Essaid Bensoudane, ST Microelectronics
  Ganesh Narayanaswamy, ST Micro
* Hemant Shah, Cadence Design Systems
  Ian Dodd
  Joe Abler, IBM
* John Angulo, Mentor Graphics
  John Shields, Mentor Graphics
  Ken Willis, Cadence Design Systems
* Kumar, Cadence Design Systems
  Lance Wang, Cadence Design Systems
  Luis Boluna, Cisco
* Michael Mirmak, Intel Corp.
  Mike LaBonte, Cisco Systems
* Mike Steinberger, SiSoft
  Patrick O'Halloran, Tiburon Design Automation
  Paul Fernando, NCSU
* Radek Biernacki, Agilent (EESof)
* Randy Wolff, Micron Technology
* Ray Comeau, Cadence Design Systems
  Richard Ward, Texas Instruments
  Sanjeev Gupta, Agilent
  Shangli Wu, Cadence
  Stephen Scearce, Cisco Systems
  Syed Huq, Cisco Systems
  Syed Sadeghi, ST Micro
* Todd Westerhoff, SiSoft
  Vikas Gupta, Xilinx
  Vuk Borich, Agilent
* Walter Katz, SiSoft

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Call for patent disclosure:

Arpad wondered if this is still necessary
- Michael Mirmak said policies may be changing, but keep doing it
No one declared a patent.

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Opens:

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Review of ARs:

- Todd clarify "electrically isolated" in BIRD
  - Maybe at the end of the summer
  - TBD

- Michael Mirmak get specific data on the non-linear behavior problem
  - TBD

- Arpad: Write parameter passing syntax proposal for a possible BIRD
  - Question about if this is for just the API or for IBIS SPICE extensions
  - Michael M: this might be split up
  - Michael M asked Arpad to clarify the AR text
  - TBD

AR: Arpad clarify text of "parameter passing syntax" AR

- Arpad: Review the new macro library files.
  - TBD

- Hemant will publish an open source reference model by Jul 17
  - Ambrish will present a model and program today
  - TBD

- Ian send relevant papers on related IEEE work
  - TBD

- Ambrish show voltage scale on impulse wave in presentation
  - Done

- Ambrish send presentation to Mike
  - TBD

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New Discussion:

Testing progress:
- Ambrish:
  - Dealing with bugs in Cadence tester code
- Mike S:
  - Good news is that it didn't crash
  - Bad good news is that nothing happened
  - Problem in GetWave function
  - One more experiment to try using Cadence impulse response
- Todd:
  - Having these programs available has been very helpful
  - So far only binaries have been shared
    - Debugging is a little slower
- Ray:
  - Kumar will send source to SiSoft
  - Should be equally debuggable without source code
  - Data would be delivered as text
    - Mike S: this needs to be run all together in a debugger
    - Ray: Yes, this would be easier
- Todd:
  - There probably have been differences in spec interpretation
  - Can be multiple testers, but they have to be consistent
- Radek:
  - Why is tester code needed?
  - Mike S: Tester code is needed to debug the path to the model code
  - Could use printf debugging, but that is not the favorite way to debug
  - Radek: In Matlab I can debug without the platform source
    - If tester had debug capabilities source code would not be needed

Planning for Asia IBIS Summit
- Hemant: We could use our DAC update as a starting point
- Michael M: Those users already know this fairly well
  - Not much background detail should be needed
- Hemant: the DAC presentation really was just an overview
  - Todd agreed
- Todd will present for us
- Bob:
  - Can get up to 1/2 hour
  - Cadence might co-present
  - Hemant: Todd can present
  - Huawei may present on this topic
- Todd will be on vacation the next 2 weeks
  - Will try to send a presentation by Friday
- Presentations will be language translated
  - Michael M: Do not assume simultaneous translation
  - Presentations may have to be shortened
- Bob:
  - Arpad penciled in temporarily

AR: Todd send draft Asia summit presentation

Kit status:
- Todd:
  - SiSoft kit includes:
    - Command line tester exe
    - 4 tap model exe
    - Basic documentation
  - Windows & Linux
  - Giving IBIS the option of licensing the source
  - Ready to send after a few copyright notices are finished
  - Could go out at the end of this week
  - Let Todd know
- Hemant:
  - Sample Rx model ready by Wednesday
    - Source will be open
    - Source will go to SiSoft first for debugging
  - Tester exe
  - Documentation
  - Picking a date soon for kit release
- Ambrish: Who decides what should be in the tester kit?
  - Todd: Depends on the IBIS committee
  - Michael M: IBIS member and partner code access are separate
  - Todd: licensing is not SiSoft's decision
  - This is like the ibischk program
  - Michael M: ibischk is written by contractors
    - icmchk was donated free
  - Mike S: SiSoft can change it to suit IBIS
  - Arpad: paying licensees might be able to embed code
  - Todd: Copyright for models allows free use with copyright retention
  - Master source archive needs to remain with IBIS

Next meeting: 7 Aug 2007 12:00pm PT