Multiple criterion optimization for the design of electronic circuits

Tbe basis of most engineering design Is making tradeoffs among competing factors. This Is especially true in the design of electronic circuits. In this paper we examine multiple criterion optimization (MCO), one aspect of the multiple criterion decision making (MCDM) problem. Because the Ideas and methods of MCO may not be familiar to circuit designers a tutorial review of the area is included. We then develop a weighted oo-norm method for generating noninferior solutions to the MCO problem. User oriented weight selection heuristics are developed and we apply this technique to the MCO design of an MOSFET hand gate. Next we extend this technique to generate a family of weighted p-norm methods for solving the MCO problem. We also develop a canonic weight associated with the -norm method that contains the weight selection technique of the -norm. This family of MCO methods allows a new and useful interpretation to be given to many of the optimization methods that have been applied to the design of electronic circuits.