Is a delay corner the same thing as a setup view or a hold view?
From PDVerse MMMC Interview Masterclass · pdVerse Mentor Series
Direct answer
No. A delay corner only describes the cell-plus-wire condition. Whether that condition is used for a setup check, a hold check, or both is decided separately, when the delay corner is paired with a constraint mode and that combination is explicitly activated.
Mentor explanation
This trips people up because delay corners are often named things like "DC_SETUP" or "DC_HOLD," and it's tempting to think the name makes it so. It doesn't. A delay corner by itself doesn't know or care what kind of check it will be used for — that decision happens one layer up, when you build the full analysis view (constraint mode plus delay corner) and then explicitly mark that view as active for setup, active for hold, both, or neither. The corner name is a hint for engineers reading the script. The actual role comes from how the view is activated.
Interview trap
Trusting a delay corner's name as proof of its role in signoff. Always check what it's actually associated with and how it's activated.
Key takeaways
- No.
- A delay corner only describes the cell-plus-wire condition.
Self-check: can you answer this aloud?
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- Explain the timing or physical reason.
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- Say how you would verify it in a real flow.
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