IntermediateQuestion 3 of 10Source page 11

Can one delay corner be reused across several different modes?

From PDVerse MMMC Interview Masterclass · pdVerse Mentor Series

Direct answer

Yes. A delay corner only describes a cell-plus-wire physical condition — it has no idea what behavior the chip is performing. So the same delay corner can legitimately pair with a functional constraint mode, a scan constraint mode, or a low-power constraint mode to build separate views.

Mentor explanation

This is the mirror image of reusing a constraint mode across corners. If your "worst-case slow" delay corner is a valid physical condition, it's just as valid whether the chip happens to be running functionally or shifting scan data in that condition. Reuse here keeps your physical assumptions consistent everywhere they apply, and it avoids quietly duplicating (and potentially drifting) the same library-set-plus-RC-corner definition under five different names.

Key takeaways

  • Yes.
  • A delay corner only describes a cell-plus-wire physical condition — it has no idea what behavior the chip is performing.
Visual explanationMMMC context: Can one delay corner be reused across several different modes?
MMMC context: Can one delay corner be reused across several different modes?A three-step concept map summarizes the focus, core answer, and practical verification for Can one delay corner be reused across several different modes?Question focusCan one delay corner bereused across severaldifferent modes?Core answerYes. A delay corner onlydescribes acell-plus-wire physicalcondition — it…Verify in practiceValidate the configuredview, active objects,and report context.Understand → explain the mechanism → verify the assumptions
Self-check: can you answer this aloud?

Try a 45-second answer using this structure:

  1. State the direct answer.
  2. Explain the timing or physical reason.
  3. Name one caveat.
  4. Say how you would verify it in a real flow.

Continue learning free

Get a practical low-power chapter

Receive the existing “Low Power and Multivoltage Fundamentals” PDF chapter and its download link by email.

Keep connecting concepts

Related MMMC questions

IntermediateCan one constraint mode be reused with multiple delay corners?IntermediateWhy is "SS means setup, FF means hold" an unsafe rule to lean on?BeginnerWhat is a delay corner?BeginnerIs a delay corner the same thing as a setup view or a hold view?