Jazz Semiconductor and Mentor Graphics Release Comprehensive Design Kits for Analog/Mixed-Signal Integrated Circuit Design Flow

Business Wire, Sept 5, 2006

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. -- Mentor TDKs Support Jazz SiGe BiCMOS and CMOS Processes to Reduce Design Time, Increase Productivity and Shorten Time-to-Market for Jazz and Mentor Customers

Jazz Semiconductor, an independent wafer foundry focused primarily on specialty CMOS process technologies, and Mentor Graphics Corporation (Nasdaq:MENT) today announced the availability of a series of Technology Design Kits (TDKs) that support Jazz's Silicon Germanium (SiGe) and CMOS process technologies. The first set of TDKs that are immediately available support Jazz's 0.35-micron SiGe BiCMOS process (SBC35), its 0.18-micron SiGe BiCMOS process (SBC18), and its 0.18-micron CMOS process (CA18HR). These production-ready and highly flexible TDKs enable IC design companies to rapidly set up their design environments using the Mentor Graphics' complete Analog/Mixed-Signal (AMS) System-on-Chip (SoC) design flow, reducing design time, increasing productivity, and ultimately helping shorten time-to-market.

The comprehensive design kits include Jazz-supported Eldo(R) simulation models, Calibre(R) DRC(TM), Calibre LVS and Calibre xRC(R)(TM) technology files, schematic symbols for Design Architect(R)-IC, programmable device generators to enable schematic-driven layout with IC Station(R), process definition files, and all other configuration files necessary to effectively utilize Mentor's AMS design flow.

"As our customer base of IC design companies developing high-frequency wireless and high-speed networking products expands, we're witnessing increasing demand for process technologies optimized for these applications," said Jue-Hsien Chern, vice president and general manager, Deep Submicron (DSM) division, Mentor Graphics. "Jazz Semiconductor's SiGe and CMOS processes are ideal for innovative, ultra high-performance applications and we're proud to be collaborating on design kits supporting our integrated mixed-signal design flow."

Jazz Semiconductor Process Technologies

The SBC35 process is a mature, low-power, cost-effective solution for both networking and wireless applications, while the SBC18 process is the solution for ultra low power and higher speed integrated networking and wireless products. With the SBC35 TDK, process designers have the flexibility of using any combination of three SiGe bipolar (NPN) transistors, each of which provides a different optimization for power and speed in a 0.35-micron platform that also includes CMOS, deep trench isolation, lateral PNP transistors, MIM and MIS capacitors, high-performance varactors, poly and N-well resistors, and high-Q inductors. The SBC18 TDK comes standard with two SiGe bipolar (NPN) transistor types in a 0.18-micron platform that also includes CMOS, lateral and vertical PNP transistors, MIM capacitors, varactors, poly and nwell resistors, and high-Q inductors.

CA18HR is an advanced 0.18-micron radio frequency CMOS process; it leverages a mixed-signal CMOS technology and robust RF modeling capability. This enables integration of RF circuit blocks with multi-million gate CMOS logic functions to create system-on-a-chip solutions. This process comes with 1.8 and 3.3 volt CMOS, lateral and vertical PNP, MIM capacitors, varactors, poly and nwell resistors, high-Q inductors, six layers of metal, using a thick top metal.

Mentor Graphics Technology Design Kits

The Mentor TDKs also include advanced inductor layouts and model generation capabilities, which integrate Jazz's state-of-the-art inductor modeling capabilities with Mentor's IC Station-based parameterized device layout generators. This enables users to quickly create and model complex correct-by-construction inductors in real time. The kits come with a feature-rich user interface linked directly to Jazz's proprietary inductor model library.

"This complete TDK for the Mentor IC flow, specifically the programmable device generators and associated Eldo models, will enable designers to leverage the full flexibility of our SiGe and RF CMOS processes," said Marco Racanelli, vice president of technology and engineering at Jazz Semiconductor. "Our partnership with Mentor Graphics will provide value to our mutual customers who are on the cutting edge of high-performance, mixed-signal and RF designs."

Customer-Proven Technology

"We are currently using Mentor's complete IC design flow in conjunction with all of the components of the Mentor/Jazz SBC35 TDK," said Simon Atkinson, CEO at Mirics Semiconductor in the UK. "For our latest product, a high-performance receiver chip capable of supporting all mobile broadcast standards of today and configurable for future standards, we needed a SiGe BiCMOS-based process in order to meet the design's speed and current drain requirements. Jazz's SBC35 process proved to be ideal for us. Mentor's IC Flow and the Mentor/Jazz SBC35 TDK helped us to achieve first pass silicon success in record time by providing us an out-of-the-box environment for all aspects of our design flow, including schematic entry, simulation, schematic-driven layout, verification, extraction, and post-layout verification."