Thursday, March 1, 2012

Mentor, Samsung Team On 20nm Design Checking

Wilsonville, Oregon-based Mentor Graphics, the developer of electronic design automation (EDA) software, reported today that Samsung Electronics and Mentor have completed a design-for-manufacturing (DFM) sign-off reference solution, supporting Samsung's foundry. The effort certifies Mentor's Calibre product for designs on 32 nm, 28 nm, and 20 nm designs. The two said Samsung has released the Calibre kits for the 32 nm and 28 nm designs, with completed evaluation for 20 nm. Mentor's software is used by semiconductor designers to identify issues with their designs which might result in lower yields or manufacturing problems; due to the high cost of semiconductors and the long lead time with processes, designers use the software to find and eliminate issues ahead of time. DFM is commonly used by foundries to make designs more tolerant to process issues and common manufacturing and yield issues.