Abstract

The single biggest influence on this work is Nur Touba, who got me started in the field of design automation for VLSI. Nur's unflagging support and encouragement have sustained and driven me throughout the last five years. To the extent that the work presented herein is worthy of credit, Nur deserves a large portion of that credit. His standards in professionalism, integrity, and honesty have raised the bar of excellence for me to follow. Another important influence is Gustavo De Veciana, whose professional life is grounded in a deep understanding of and love for electrical engineering and the teaching and learning process. Words cannot do justice to express all that Gustavo's mentoring has come to mean to me. Thanks also to Margarida Jacome, not just for her support on my dissertation committee, but also for her encouragement and particularly forceful endorsement that has helped me embark on a career in academics. I must also thank Dinos Moundanos and Jawahar Jain for their part in making my stay at and collaborations with the Fujitsu Laboratories of America highly productive. It was there that I took my first tentative steps into the world of research and there that I found the courage and confidence to pursue my own ideas. I would also like to

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