Derivative-Free Robust Optimization for Circuit Design

In this paper, we introduce a framework for derivative-free robust opti-mization based on the use of an efficient derivative-free optimization routine for mixed-integer nonlinear problems. The proposed framework is employed to find a robust optimal design of a particular integrated circuit (namely a DC–DC converter commonly used in portable electronic devices). The proposed robust optimization ap-proach outperforms the traditional statistical approach as it is shown in the numerical results