Stratosphere, Cadence to drive 45nm design yield, performance higher

SAN JOSE, USA: Stratosphere Solutions Inc., a leading provider of process and yield characterization and modeling technologies, together with Cadence Design Systems Inc. have collaborated to increase 45nm semiconductor device yield by addressing a critical emerging challenge: manufacturing variability. The collaboration meets this challenge with improved process modeling, analysis and implementation flows that allow foundries, IDM's, ASIC and COT designers to increase the quality of their results.

The collaboration uses the new statistical timing analysis features in the Cadence Encounter digital IC design platform in combination with sophisticated variability models created by Stratosphere Ozone variability modeling environment to significantly improve process variation management, design performance, parametric yield and power consumption at advanced process geometries.

Stratosphere's Ozone delivers statistical ProcessIntelligent variability models of electrical parameters at device/interconnect/circuit/cell levels. When used within Cadence's SoC Encounter GXL and Encounter Timing System GXL environments, these models support an end-to-end flow from parametric yield measurement, modeling and characterization to design analysis, optimization and final signoff. The result is a comprehensive methodology for 45nm design that minimizes impact of potential systematic (lithography, chemical mechanical polishing) and random variations.

"We have worked very closely with Cadence to develop ProcessIntelligent models that help users of the Cadence Encounter platform to analyze impact of within-die, die-to-die, systematic and random variation on design," stated Prashant Maniar, co-founder and chief strategy officer of Stratosphere.

"The Cadence-Stratosphere collaboration empowers our mutual customers to significantly mitigate impact of process variation, improve performance predictability, and prevent silicon failures. Such collaboration across the value chain is critical to meeting the demands of cutting-edge electronic design for the foreseeable future," he added.

"At today's nanometer process geometries, predictable timing requires working closely with foundries and semiconductor companies," said Mike McAweeney, vice president of DFM marketing at Cadence. "Stratosphere provides a parametric yield metrology platform to these manufacturers, who in turn produce massive amounts of fab data that can be translated into accurate statistical models.

"Our collaboration with Stratosphere has produced a comprehensive and seamless flow that helps customers to prevent, analyze and optimize for manufacturing effects and manage process variation."

Stratosphere is the leading provider of an innovative parametric yield improvement solution including a silicon-proven IP platform and modeling applications empowering customers to reduce impact of variability on performance and parametric yield. The company's customer base includes leading worldwide semiconductor companies building products utilizing processes from 130nm down to 45nm.