1 Analog Circuit Design based on Robust POFs using an Enhanced MOEA with SVM Models

In this chapter, a multi-objective design methodology for automatic analog integrated circuits (IC) synthesis, which enhances the robustness of the solution by varying technological and environmental parameters, is presented. The automatic analog IC sizing tool GENOM-POF was implemented and used to demonstrate the methodology, and to verify the effect of corner cases on the Pareto optimal front (POF). To enhance the efficiency of the tool, a supervised learning strategy, which is based on SVM, is used to create feasibility models that are used to efficiently prune the design search space during the optimization process, thus, reducing the overall number of required evaluations. The GPOF-SVM optimization kernel consists of a modified version of the multi-objective evolutionary algorithm (MOEA), NSGA-II, and uses HSPICE® as the evaluation engine. The usage of standard inputs and outputs eases the integration with other design automation tools, either at system level or at physical level, which is the case of LAYGEN, an in-house layout generation tool. Finally, the approach was validated using benchmark examples, which consist of circuits tested with similar tools, particularly, the former GENOM tool and other tools from literature.