Intel® Quartus® Prime Pro Edition User Guide: Timing Analyzer

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ID 683243
Date 1/31/2023
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Document Table of Contents
Document Table of Contents x
1. Answers to Top FAQs 2. Timing Analysis Introduction 3. Using the Intel® Quartus® Prime Timing Analyzer A. Intel® Quartus® Prime Pro Edition User Guides
2. Timing Analysis Introduction x
2.1. What's New In This Version 2.2. Timing Analysis Basic Concepts 2.3. Timing Analysis Overview Document Revision History
2.2. Timing Analysis Basic Concepts x
2.2.1. Timing Path and Clock Analysis 2.2.2. Clock Setup Analysis 2.2.3. Clock Hold Analysis 2.2.4. Recovery and Removal Analysis 2.2.5. Multicycle Path Analysis 2.2.6. Metastability Analysis 2.2.7. Timing Pessimism 2.2.8. Clock-As-Data Analysis 2.2.9. Multicorner Timing Analysis 2.2.10. Time Borrowing
2.2.1. Timing Path and Clock Analysis x
2.2.1.1. The Timing Netlist 2.2.1.2. Timing Paths 2.2.1.3. Data and Clock Arrival Times 2.2.1.4. Launch and Latch Edges
2.2.5. Multicycle Path Analysis x
2.2.5.1. Multicycle Clock Hold 2.2.5.2. Multicycle Clock Setup
2.2.10. Time Borrowing x
2.2.10.1. Time Borrowing Limitations 2.2.10.2. Time Borrowing with Latches
3. Using the Intel® Quartus® Prime Timing Analyzer x
3.1. Timing Analysis Flow 3.2. Step 1: Specify Timing Analyzer Settings 3.3. Step 2: Specify Timing Constraints 3.4. Step 3: Run the Timing Analyzer 3.5. Step 4: Analyze Timing Reports 3.6. Applying Timing Constraints 3.7. Timing Analyzer Tcl Commands 3.8. Timing Analysis of Imported Compilation Results 3.9. Using the Intel® Quartus® Prime Timing Analyzer Document Revision History 3.10. Intel® Quartus® Prime Pro Edition User Guide: Timing Analyzer Archive
3.4. Step 3: Run the Timing Analyzer x
3.4.1. Setting the Operating Conditions for Timing Analysis 3.4.2. Enabling Time Borrowing Optimization
3.5. Step 4: Analyze Timing Reports x
3.5.1. Generating Timing Reports 3.5.2. Cross-Probing with Design Assistant 3.5.3. Launching Design Assistant from Timing Analyzer 3.5.4. Locating Timing Paths in Other Tools 3.5.5. Correlating Constraints to the Timing Report
3.5.1. Generating Timing Reports x
3.5.1.1. Report Fmax Summary 3.5.1.2. Report Timing 3.5.1.3. Report Timing By Source Files 3.5.1.4. Report Data Delay 3.5.1.5. Report Net Delay 3.5.1.6. Report Clocks and Clock Network 3.5.1.7. Report Clock Transfers 3.5.1.8. Report Metastability 3.5.1.9. Report CDC Viewer 3.5.1.10. Report Asynchronous CDC 3.5.1.11. Report Logic Depth 3.5.1.12. Report Neighbor Paths 3.5.1.13. Report Register Spread 3.5.1.14. Report Route Net of Interest 3.5.1.15. Report Retiming Restrictions 3.5.1.16. Report Register Statistics 3.5.1.17. Report Pipelining Information 3.5.1.18. Report Time Borrowing Data 3.5.1.19. Report Exceptions and Exceptions Reachability 3.5.1.20. Report Bottlenecks
3.5.1.13. Report Register Spread x
3.5.1.13.1. Registers with High Timing Path Endpoint Tension 3.5.1.13.2. Registers with High Immediate Fan-Out Tension
3.5.1.20. Report Bottlenecks x
3.5.1.20.1. Specifying Custom Bottleneck Criteria
3.5.2. Cross-Probing with Design Assistant x
3.5.2.1. Cross-Probing from Design Assistant to Timing Analyzer
3.6. Applying Timing Constraints x
3.6.1. Recommended Initial SDC Constraints 3.6.2. SDC File Precedence 3.6.3. Modifying Iterative Constraints 3.6.4. Using Entity-bound SDC Files 3.6.5. Creating Clocks and Clock Constraints 3.6.6. Creating I/O Constraints 3.6.7. Creating Delay and Skew Constraints 3.6.8. Creating Timing Exceptions 3.6.9. Using Fitter Overconstraints 3.6.10. Example Circuit and SDC File
3.6.1. Recommended Initial SDC Constraints x
3.6.1.1. Create Clock (create_clock) 3.6.1.2. Derive PLL Clocks (derive_pll_clocks) 3.6.1.3. Derive Clock Uncertainty (derive_clock_uncertainty) 3.6.1.4. Set Clock Groups (set_clock_groups)
3.6.4. Using Entity-bound SDC Files x
3.6.4.1. Entity-bound Constraint Scope 3.6.4.2. Entity-bound Constraint Examples
3.6.5. Creating Clocks and Clock Constraints x
3.6.5.1. Creating Base Clocks 3.6.5.2. Creating Virtual Clocks 3.6.5.3. Creating Generated Clocks (create_generated_clock) 3.6.5.4. Deriving PLL Clocks 3.6.5.5. Creating Clock Groups (set_clock_groups) 3.6.5.6. Accounting for Clock Effect Characteristics 3.6.5.7. Constraining CDC Paths
3.6.5.1. Creating Base Clocks x
3.6.5.1.1. Automatic Clock Detection and Constraint Creation
3.6.5.2. Creating Virtual Clocks x
3.6.5.2.1. Specifying I/O Interface Uncertainty 3.6.5.2.2. I/O Interface Clock Uncertainty Example
3.6.5.3. Creating Generated Clocks (create_generated_clock) x
3.6.5.3.1. Clock Divider Example (-divide_by) 3.6.5.3.2. Clock Multiplexer Example
3.6.5.5. Creating Clock Groups (set_clock_groups) x
3.6.5.5.1. Exclusive Clock Groups (-logically_exclusive or -physically_exclusive) 3.6.5.5.2. Asynchronous Clock Groups (-asynchronous) 3.6.5.5.3. set_clock_groups Constraint Tips
3.6.5.6. Accounting for Clock Effect Characteristics x
3.6.5.6.1. Set Clock Latency (set_clock_latency) 3.6.5.6.2. Clock Uncertainty
3.6.6. Creating I/O Constraints x
3.6.6.1. Input Constraints (set_input_delay) 3.6.6.2. Output Constraints (set_output_delay)
3.6.7. Creating Delay and Skew Constraints x
3.6.7.1. Advanced I/O Timing and Board Trace Model Delay 3.6.7.2. Maximum Skew (set_max_skew) 3.6.7.3. Net Delay (set_net_delay)
3.6.8. Creating Timing Exceptions x
3.6.8.1. Timing Exception Precedence 3.6.8.2. False Paths (set_false_path) 3.6.8.3. Minimum and Maximum Delays 3.6.8.4. Multicycle Paths 3.6.8.5. Multicycle Exception Examples 3.6.8.6. Delay Annotation 3.6.8.7. Constraining Design Partition Ports
3.6.8.4. Multicycle Paths x
3.6.8.4.1. Common Multicycle Applications 3.6.8.4.2. Relaxing Setup with Multicycle (set_multicyle_path) 3.6.8.4.3. Accounting for a Phase Shift (-phase)
3.6.8.5. Multicycle Exception Examples x
3.6.8.5.1. Default Multicycle Analysis 3.6.8.5.2. End Multicycle Setup = 2 and End Multicycle Hold = 0 3.6.8.5.3. End Multicycle Setup = 2 and End Multicycle Hold = 1 3.6.8.5.4. Same Frequency Clocks with Destination Clock Offset 3.6.8.5.5. Destination Clock Frequency is a Multiple of the Source Clock Frequency 3.6.8.5.6. Destination Clock Frequency is a Multiple of the Source Clock Frequency with an Offset 3.6.8.5.7. Source Clock Frequency is a Multiple of the Destination Clock Frequency 3.6.8.5.8. Source Clock Frequency is a Multiple of the Destination Clock Frequency with an Offset
3.7. Timing Analyzer Tcl Commands x
3.7.1. The quartus_sta Executable 3.7.2. Collection Commands
3.7.2. Collection Commands x
3.7.2.1. Wildcard Characters 3.7.2.2. Adding and Removing Collection Items 3.7.2.3. Query of Collections 3.7.2.4. Using the get_pins Command
1. Answers to Top FAQs
2. Timing Analysis Introduction
3. Using the Intel® Quartus® Prime Timing Analyzer
A. Intel® Quartus® Prime Pro Edition User Guides

2.2.6. Metastability Analysis

Metastability problems can occur when a signal transfers between circuitry in unrelated or asynchronous clock domains because the signal does not meet setup and hold time requirements.

To minimize the failures due to metastability, circuit designers typically use a sequence of registers, also known as a synchronization register chain, or synchronizer, in the destination clock domain to resynchronize the data signals to the new clock domain.

The mean time between failures (MTBF) is an estimate of the average time between instances of failure due to metastability.

The Timing Analyzer analyzes the potential for metastability in your design and can calculate the MTBF for synchronization register chains. The Timing Analyzer then estimates the MTBF of the entire design from the synchronization chains the design contains.

In addition to reporting synchronization register chains found in the design, the Intel® Quartus® Prime software also protects these registers from optimizations that might negatively impact MTBF, such as register duplication and logic retiming. The Intel® Quartus® Prime software can also optimize the MTBF of your design if the MTBF is too low.

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