ST adopts Cadence QRC Extraction for 40nm analog/mixed-signal design

SAN JOSE, USA: Cadence Design Systems Inc. announced that STMicroelectronics, a global leader in integrated circuits for communications, consumer, computer, automotive and industrial applications, has standardized on Cadence QRC Extraction for their 40-nanometer custom/analog designs.

A key component of the Cadence digital and analog/mixed signal design flow, QRC Extraction enables faster turnaround time, scalability through its multi-core backplane, increased accuracy to silicon and capabilities to address the needs for advanced layout parasitic extraction in leading-edge technology node design.

As process geometries continue to shrink beyond 40nm, it becomes imperative for parasitic extraction to understand and accurately model and predict the impact of substrate, inductance and mutual inductance on the performance of a chip.

Cadence QRC Extraction constantly breaks new ground and is the first to be certified at advanced nodes by leading foundries. Along with feature-rich advancements in leading-edge process modeling and integration with the Virtuoso Custom IC and Encounter Digital Implementation Platforms, QRC is the tool that provides a seamless single parasitic solution for digital, custom, RF, memory, analog, mixed-signal and substrate extraction. STMicroelectronics’s customers and design centers easily realized the differentiated productivity and silicon predictability benefits.

“We evaluated Cadence QRC Extraction and found it competitive to be included in our 40LP analog/RF mixed-signal/digital signoff design flow. Our customers and designers are bound to benefit from its adoption in terms of higher design performance,” said Vincent Varo, CMOS and Derivative PDK Manager, Technology R&D, STMicroelectronics

“Our evaluation confirmed that QRC Extraction is able to manage the complexity of advanced 40nm effects with suitable model accuracy, besides its seamless integration with the Cadence Virtuoso and Encounter design environments. ”

To qualify for the ST extraction flow, QRC Extraction passed a rigorous evaluation involving multiple designs and dozens of criteria. With the successful conclusion of this evaluation, QRC Extraction technology was qualified to be a part of the 40LP methodology widely deployed to ST’s design centers developing large-scale, complex digital and analog designs.

“After rigorous benchmarking, adopting Cadence QRC Extraction for our design teams was the clear choice for our 40LP analog/RF mixed-signal/digital signoff design flow. We adopted and will proliferate QRC Extraction throughout ST technologies so that our customers and designers can benefit from the latest technology advancements to achieve new heights in design performance,” said Vincent Varo, CMOS and Derivative PDK Manager, Technology R&D, STMicroelectronics.

“We selected QRC Extraction on the merits of its proven ability to manage the complexity of advanced 40nm effects with suitable model accuracy, and its seamless integration with the Cadence Virtuoso and Encounter design environments. ”

To qualify for the ST extraction flow, QRC Extraction passed a rigorous evaluation involving multiple designs and dozens of individual criterion. With the successful conclusion of this evaluation, QRC Extraction technology earned its place as a linchpin component of the advanced-node methodology widely deployed to ST’s design centers developing large-scale, complex digital and analog designs.

Dr. Rachid Salik, vice president of research and development at Cadence, said: “We are pleased that the Cadence QRC signoff solution continues to gain critical acclaim for providing differentiated results for STMicroelectronics, which is one of the world’s most sophisticated leader in driving CAD-solutions for broad range of analog and mixed-signal IC products in various domain like wireless, Wifi, Bluetooth in 40nm Low-power Technology Design Platform with vast experience in PDK and custom layout methodology. It is our passion to work together with leading companies, such as STMicroelectronics”