SMIC certifies Synopsys IC Validator for signoff physical verification

MOUNTAIN VIEW, USA: Synopsys Inc. announced that its IC Validator product has been certified by Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC) for signoff physical verification of their 28-nanometer (nm) PolySiON (PS) manufacturing process.

This availability gives mutual customers access to a wider selection of leading signoff tools for physical verification. The fully qualified design rule checking (DRC) and layout-versus-schematic (LVS) runsets are available for download from the SMIC website.

"Formalizing our certification of IC Validator is a big step forward in supporting a number of our mutual customers for signoff verification. We are expanding our 28-nm pilot production through the end of 2014," said Dr. Waisum Wong, senior director of Technology Development at SMIC. "We expect that the 28-nm product life cycle longevity will exceed previous nodes, and we are pleased to include IC Validator as part of our signoff infrastructure."

IC Validator, part of the Synopsys Galaxy Design Platform, is a comprehensive solution for all physical verification tasks, including DRC, LVS, manufacturability enhancement, electrical rule checking (ERC) and metal fill insertion. Its modern architecture and excellent multi-core scalability make IC Validator the signoff tool of choice for a growing number of customers who are working on small analog designs, or large digital system-on-chip (SoC) designs.

Foundry-certified runsets enable Synopsys' In-Design physical verification with IC Compiler place and route and StarRC transistor-level parasitic extraction. IC Validator enables coding at higher levels of abstraction, which allows SMIC to streamline design rule development and deployment, and provide mutual customers with the high accuracy and excellent scalability needed for designs done on leading-edge process nodes.

"As manufacturing complexity places increased pressure on designers to deliver within tighter schedules, it is important that we continue to collaborate closely with foundries like SMIC," said Antun Domic, executive VP and GM of the Design Group at Synopsys. "SMIC's certification demonstrates how designers with the most demanding designs are driving the market towards better signoff verification solutions that are also closely integrated into their design flows."