Why Shift Left?

By Michael White - 24 Aug, 2023 - Comments: 0

As every integrated circuit (IC) design company knows, the faster a design can progress from implementation to signoff verification, the better the chances are of meeting tapeout schedules. Meeting tapeout schedules improves a company’s chances of reaching their market targets. But as companies create larger and more complex ICs and move to advanced process nodes, the challenge of achieving t... » read more

Analog IP Reuse

By Benjamin Prautsch - 20 Jul, 2023 - Comments: 0

Analog integrated circuit IP is essential to how microelectronic circuits and systems interact with the environment. It enables things like signal conversion, stable power supply, and communication in state-of-the-art devices. However, designing these critical components – even though they are often a small part of complex chips – is very costly and risk-prone. And in today’s analog field... » read more

A New Approach To Design-Stage Layout Optimization Can Speed Time To Tapeout While Improving Power Management

By Jeff Wilson - 20 Jul, 2023 - Comments: 0

The right tool for the job makes all the difference. Ever try hammering a nail in with a rock? How many nails did you ruin before you gave up? Or try to tighten a crucial bolt by hand? It takes forever, and you just can’t tighten it enough, so everything’s still kind of wobbly? Yeah, that’s kind of what it’s like trying to use an electronic design automation (EDA) tool to do a job it’... » read more

Learning The AMS Circuit Representation From Layout Positions (UT Austin/ NVIDIA)

By Technical Paper Link - 15 Mar, 2023 - Comments: 0

A recent technical paper titled "TAG: Learning Circuit Spatial Embedding From Layouts" was published by researchers at UT Austin and NVIDIA. Abstract "Analog and mixed-signal (AMS) circuit designs still rely on human design expertise. Machine learning has been assisting circuit design automation by replacing human experience with artificial intelligence. This paper presents TAG, a new parad... » read more

Using In-Design Analysis Flows To Resolve Signal Integrity Issues

By Avijeet Singh - 06 May, 2021 - Comments: 0

In today’s ever-shrinking IC package design cycles, it is almost imperative that we catch and correct routing issues as early as possible, which makes simulation an integral part of the design cycle. Layout engineers want a quick and accurate way to find out the layout mistakes by looking at the changing impedance values and high coupling due to nearby signals. Unfortunately, layout engineers... » read more

3 Ways To Improve Design Collaboration: Part 3

By Simon Rance - 07 Jan, 2021 - Comments: 0

The first two blog posts in this three-part series focused on the design team’s capability to communicate efficiently. An accurate to-do list is the basis of providing accurate estimates for project release schedules. The Cliosoft VDD (Visual Design Diff) tool is an effective way to maintain a live and accurate “to-do list” for design engineers and managers alike. Additionally, it provide... » read more

Analog Chip Layout: Creativity Vs. Deadlines

By Benjamin Prautsch - 10 Sep, 2020 - Comments: 0

The entire design of integrated circuits, from the specification onward, depends on successful validation by measurement of microchips. One key milestone in this process is the completion of the layout. However, the path to reach this point can be quite difficult as many iterations are usually required. It includes: Iterations with the customer to finalize the specification. Iteratio... » read more

Make Acute Angles A Sharp Problem Of The Past

By Tyler Lockman - 13 Aug, 2020 - Comments: 0

Sharp angles, whether they create a spike in a poured shape or form an acid trap between two different pieces of metal, are a problem for us all. As designers, we will go out of our way to try and avoid creating these situations; they will still creep into your design despite the best of intentions. How, then, can you efficiently rid your design of them with the minimal change to your routin... » read more

3 Ways To Improve Design Collaboration: Part 2

By Amit Varde - 04 Jun, 2020 - Comments: 0

In the last blog in this series, we talked about how VDD can help design and layout engineers work more efficiently. Communicating precise and accurate information is a key factor in improving productivity, estimates, and the planning process. Visualizing the changes makes it easier to follow the technical details. The ECO (Engineering Change Order) phase is an important phase in the lifecycle... » read more

Layout Generators For Artificial Intelligence Hardware Design

By Benjamin Prautsch - 14 May, 2020 - Comments: 0

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a powerful tool that offers great convenience in many areas of life. In addition to improving Internet searches and online shopping, it enables driver assistance systems that can save lives, for example. AI in its various forms is the essential tool for such applications, and it can be expected to show a similar development as microelectronics did. Although AI... » read more

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Knowledge Centers
Entities, people and technologies explored

Shift Left Is The Tip Of The Iceberg

A transformative change is underway for semiconductor design and EDA. New languages, models, and abstractions will need to be created.

by Brian Bailey

Partitioning In The Chiplet Era

Understanding how chiplets interact under different workloads is critical to ensuring signal integrity and optimal performance in heterogeneous designs.

by Ann Mutschler

3.5D: The Great Compromise

Pros and cons of a middle-ground chiplet assembly that combines 2.5D and 3D-IC.

by Ed Sperling

AI’s Role In Chip Design Widens, Drawing In New Startups

Focus is on letting engineers do much more with the same or fewer resources — and less drudgery.

by Karen Heyman

Key Technologies To Extend EUV To 14 Angstroms

Alongside high-NA EUV will be better-performing photoresists, reduced roughness using passivation and etch, and lateral etching to reduce tip-to-tip dimensions.

by Laura Peters

Memory Fundamentals For Engineers

eBook: Nearly everything you need to know about memory, including detailed explanations of the different types of memory; how and where these are used today; what's changing, which memories are successful and which ones might be in the future; and the limitations of each memory type.

by The SE Staff

What Comes After HBM For Chiplets

The standard for high-bandwidth memory limits design freedom at many levels, but that is required for interoperability. What freedoms can be taken from other functions to make chiplets possible?