CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
11 December 2007
Product News
Synopsys, Altera and TSMC Collaboration Delivers Industry-Leading 45-Nanometer Extraction Accuracy
Synopsys, Inc . announced the qualification and immediate availability of the Synopsys Star-RCXTT parasitic extraction solution for TSMC's 45-nanometer (nm) process technology. This qualification is the result of collaboration between Synopsys, Altera and TSMC to develop and silicon-validate advanced modeling of key process variation effects that impact the performance of digital, analog and memory circuits. Altera, a pioneer in programmable logic, is now deploying Synopsys' Star-RCXT as the preferred extraction tool for its 45-nm design sign-off flow.
"We have successfully used Synopsys' Star-RCXT extraction tool on our 90-nanometer and 65-nanometer devices," said Eugene Chen, director of CAD Engineering at Altera Corporation. "Our recent collaboration on modeling advanced 45-nanometer process effects increases our confidence in the ability of the Star-RCXT solution to ensure the success of our next-generation devices as well. We have now standardized on the Star-RCXT solution for our 45-nanometer design flows on the merits of its sub-femtofarad accurate process modeling, its proven track record at each successive technology node and its seamless integration with our existing Synopsys sign-off solutions."
Synopsys, Altera and TSMC worked together to develop modeling specifications for two key 45-nm interconnect process effects-microloading and gate-to-contact coupling capacitance variation. TSMC and Altera validated that the Synopsys Star-RCXT solution provides accurate modeling of these and other 45-nm process effects caused by lithography variation, chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP), width-dependent temperature variation and dielectric damage in ultra-low-K process.
"TSMC and Synopsys collaborated early on to address 45-nanometer interconnect modeling of microloading effects and gate-to-contact capacitance variation," said Kuo Wu, deputy director of Design Service Marketing at TSMC. "The Synopsys Star-RCXT extraction tool has satisfactorily completed our qualification criteria to take full advantage of TSMC's leading 45-nm process technology with a high standard of model accuracy."
"The Star-RCXT solution's continued technology lead is the result of our long-standing collaboration with industry leaders such as TSMC and Altera," said Robert Hoogenstryd, director of Design Analysis and Sign-Off Marketing at Synopsys. "The 45-nanometer qualification and first-to-deploy success of Star-RCXT is yet further proof of our customers' confidence in the tool's ability to deliver silicon success for their most advanced designs."
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