ABSTRACT
Compact models of a circuit element are simple mathematical descriptions of the behavior of that circuit element, which are used for computer-aided design (CAD) and analysis of integrated circuits (ICs). Compact models describe the device characteristics of a manufacturing technology by a set of physics-based analytical expressions with technology-dependent device model parameters that are solved by a circuit simulator for circuit analysis during IC design. Compact models of the circuit elements of an IC manufacturing technology have been the major part of electronic design automation tools for circuit CAD since the invention of ICs in the year 1958 and are playing an increasingly important role in the nanometer-scale system-on-chip design era. Compact models are the most important part of the process design kit, which is the interface between circuit designers and device technology.
