About Bus Skew Constraints - 2022.1 English

The bus skew constraint is used to set a maximum skew requirement between several asynchronous CDC paths. The bus skew is not the traditional clock skew associated with a timing path. Instead, it corresponds to the largest capture time difference across all the paths that are covered by a same set_bus_skew constraint. The bus skew requirement applies to both Fast and Slow corners, but it is not analyzed across the corners.

The intent of the bus skew constraint is to limit the number of source clock edges that can launch a data and be captured by a single destination clock edge. The tolerance depends on the CDC synchronization scheme used for the constrained paths. The bus skew constraint is typically used for the following CDC topologies:

• Gray-coded bus transfer, such as in asynchronous FIFOs
• Multi-bit CDC implemented with CE, MUX, or MUX Hold circuitry
• Configuration registers

Although the set_bus_skew command does not prevent a bus skew constraint to be set on a safely timed synchronous CDC, such a constraint is not needed. The setup and hold checks already ensure a safe transfer between two safely timed synchronous CDC paths.

The CDC scenarios for bus skew constraints are:

• Asynchronous CDC covered with set_clock_groups
• Asynchronous CDC entirely covered with set_false_path and/or set_max_delay -datapath_only
• Synchronous CDC paths covered with set_false_path and/or set_max_delay -datapath_only

The bus skew constraint is not a timing exception; rather, it is a timing assertion. Therefore, it does not interfere with the timing exceptions (set_clock_group, set_false_path, set_max_delay, set_max_delay -datapath_only, and set_multicycle_path) and their precedence.

The bus skew constraint is only optimized by the route_design command. To report the set_bus_skew constraints, use the report_bus_skew command from the command line or Reports > Timing > Report Bus Skew from the GUI. The bus skew constraints are not reported inside the Timing Summary report (report_timing_summary).