Cadence Releases IC Packaging Tool

Electronic News, August 23, 1999 by Ann Steffora

Cadence Design Systems Inc., San Jose, today is announcing a tool for silicon and package optimization of integrated-circuit (IC) packaging. SPECCTRAQuest interconnect designer for IC packaging, part of the Cadence Advanced packaging ensemble expert system, merges electrical and physical design into an environment that provides a complete solution for optimizing IC package performance.

The environment integrates SPECCTRAQuest simulation technology with the Parasitic Parameters 3D parasitic extraction engine from Ansoft Corp., which is already linked with the Cadence Advanced package designer through a flow jointly developed between Cadence and Pacific Numerix (which became part of Ansoft in April). The result is a unified flow that enables IC package engineers to make critical design decisions much earlier in the design process.

SPECCTRAQuest for IC packaging will be available in the third quarter, on Windows NT and Unix-based platforms, as part of the Cadence Advanced Packaging Ensemble suite, which is priced at $110,000.