Min and Max Timing Paths--时序路径

The total delay for the logic to propagate through a logic path is referred to as thepath delay. This corresponds to the sum of the delays through the various logic cells and nets along the path. In general, there are multiple paths through which the logic can propagate to the required destination
point. The actual path taken depends upon the state of the other inputs along the logic path. Since there are multiple paths to the destination, the maximum and minimum timing to the destination points can be obtained. The paths corresponding to the maximum timing and minimumtiming are referred to as the max path and min path respectively.A max path between two end points is the path with the largest delay (also referred to as the longest path). Similarly, a min path is the path with the smallest delay (also referred to as the shortest path). Note that the longest and shortest refer to the cumulative delay of

the path, not to the number of cells in the path.

A max path is often called a late path, while a min path is often called an early path.