Synopsys DFT MAX mainstream use at 90nm and below

MOUNTAIN VIEW, USA: Synopsys Inc. announced that Synopsys' DFT MAX compression product has been successfully deployed at more than one hundred semiconductors companies from all industry segments to substantially reduce the cost of testing digital integrated circuits (ICs).

Customers who have selected DFT MAX compression as their preferred solution include: Aquantia, Dongbu Hitek, Exar, Frontier Silicon, Imagination Technologies, Integrated Device Technology, ITT Corp., LG Electronics, Manthan Semiconductors, Nuvoton Technology, NVIDIA, Realtek, Renesas Technology Corp., Samsung, Toshiba and TranSwitch. These and other IC design organizations worldwide have adopted DFT MAX compression to reduce both test time and test data volume up to 100X because it is as easy and predictable to implement as standard scan without impacting downstream physical design flows.

Designs at 90 nanometers (nm) and below are more susceptible to yield loss due to excessive power consumption during IC testing. Preventing this loss using manual techniques is error-prone and adversely affects designer productivity. Advanced power-aware capabilities in both DFT MAX compression and Synopsys' TetraMAX automatic test pattern generator (ATPG) reduce power consumption during test with minimal impact on design metrics, schedules and test costs. Moreover, as part of Synopsys' Eclypse Low Power Solution, DFT MAX compression and TetraMAX ATPG are fully compatible with advanced low-power design methodologies and automatically preserve the designer's power intent.

DFT MAX compression is much less intrusive on design flows and design performance than alternative solutions. Fragmented, bolt-on flows requiring separate design synthesis and scan compression insertion steps break critical timing, add routing congestion and necessitate subsequent reoptimization. In contrast, DFT MAX compression is integrated with the Galaxy Implementation Platform, including the Design Compiler RTL synthesis, IC Compiler physical implementation and PrimeTime static timing analysis solutions to help eliminate costly, time-consuming design iterations between synthesis and physical implementation.

"The success of DFT MAX compression stems from Synopsys' vision of design-for-test being an integral part of the Galaxy Implementation Platform flow for RTL-to-GDSII," said Antun Domic, senior vice president and general manager of Synopsys' Implementation Group. "Because DFT MAX compression is easy to use and has minimal impact on design timing, area and power, it provides our customers a fast and cost-effective path to high-quality manufacturing tests and working silicon."