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JAZZ SEMICONDUCTOR AND MENTOR GRAPHICS RELEASE COMPREHENSIVE
DESIGN KITS FOR ANALOG/MIXED-SIGNAL IC DESIGN FLOW
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
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., September 5, 2006
-- Jazz Semiconductor, an independent wafer foundry focused primarily
on specialty CMOS process technologies, and Mentor Graphics Corporation
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®
simulation models, Calibre® DRC™, Calibre LVS and Calibre
xRC®™ technology files, schematic symbols for Design Architect®-IC,
programmable device generators to enable schematic-driven layout
with IC Station®, 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 nwell 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."
Availability
SBC35, SBC18 and CA18HR design kits are currently available to Jazz
Semiconductor and Mentor Graphics customers, and can be requested
directly from either company.
Mentor Graphics Integrated AMS SoC Design Tools
Mentor Graphics delivers superior technology for analog/mixed-signal
SoC designs, from capture and simulation through physical implementation,
verification and analysis. The flow includes the Design Architect-IC
schematic entry product with a powerful AMS SoC design cockpit,
the IC Station connectivity-driven custom layout product, and the
integrated ICassemble solution for chip assembly and automated routing.
The ADVance™ MS tool is a single-kernel, language-independent
simulation environment for digital, analog, mixed-signal and RF
circuits. Calibre and Calibre xRC tools deliver the industry's highest
capacity, performance and accuracy for physical verification and
parasitic extraction. These tools are integrated into the ICstudio
environment providing robust and consistent management of design
projects and data files, including revision control across multiple
design sites. This fully integrated set of tools is available immediately
for Linux, HP, and Sun platforms.
Mentor Graphics, Eldo, Calibre, Design Architect-IC
and IC Station are registered trademarks, ADVance, ADVance MS and
Calibre DRC and xRC are trademarks of Mentor Graphics Corporation.
All other company or product names are the registered trademarks
or trademarks of their respective owners.
About Mentor Graphics
Mentor Graphics Corporation (Nasdaq: MENT) is a world leader in
electronic hardware and software design solutions, providing products,
consulting services and award-winning support for the world's most
successful electronics and semiconductor companies. Established
in 1981, the company reported revenues over the last 12 months of
over $725 million and employs approximately 4,050 people worldwide.
Corporate headquarters are located at 8005 S.W. Boeckman Road, Wilsonville,
Oregon 97070-7777. World Wide Web site: http://www.mentor.com.
Mentor Graphics Company Contact
Carole Thurman
503/685-4716
carole_thurman@mentor.com
About Jazz Semiconductor
Jazz Semiconductor is an independent wafer foundry focused
primarily on specialty CMOS process technologies, including High
Voltage CMOS, SiGe BiCMOS and RFCMOS for the manufacture of highly
integrated analog and mixed-signal semiconductor devices. Jazz serves
customers targeting wireless, optical networking, power management,
consumer electronics, storage, aerospace/defense and other high performance
applications. Jazz executive offices and its U.S. wafer fabrication
facilities are located in Newport Beach, CA. For more information, please visit www.jazzsemi.com.
Jazz Company Contact
Jessica McNaughton
949/435-8086
jessica.mcnaughton@jazzsemi.com
Jazz Media Contact
Lauri Julian
949/715-3049
l.julian@mediaconnectpr.com
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