ID-XploreTM is a technology independent analog design acceleration and migration tool for schematic centric design flows.
ID-Xplore Facilitates and Speeds Up Technology Migration
Semiconductor companies must act fast to create best-in-class integrated circuits. To get great performance, analog designers are trained to take advantage of changes in semiconductor technology with innovative schematic designs.
To expand product offerings and control profit margin, companies need to assess how their schematic circuits will perform in diverse technologies and cost effective fabrication facilities.
However, evaluation of a complex analog circuit in another technology can take time. Non-recurring engineering (NRE) costs for prospective analysis in different technologies can quickly consume engineering efforts and reduce profit margin.
Technical Challenge
– Migrate quickly to different technology nodes
– Have “migration ready” sized-schematics
Limited Fabrication Capacity – a Business Risk
A global RF semiconductor client specializing in mobile, infrastructure and aerospace/defense electronics applications with product offerings in low-power RF integrated circuits.
“…Due to our high degree of product specialization, our business is strongly dependent on very few, large clients. We need to control our production capacity to ramp up responsively – which isn’t always possible at the same fabrication site” says VP Engineering (company name withheld). “Building migration-ready schematics for quick alternate foundry fabrication took a lot of engineering time and resources. We were ready to try a new tool to solve this problem”.
Business Impact
– Performance in diverse advanced technology nodes is hard to assess quickly and accurately
– Analysis of performance in different technologies takes time from already tight schedules
Technology Migration Solution
The ID-Xplore tool works inside industry-standard tool flows to quickly and easily move schematic designs between different semiconductor technologies. A fast, full accuracy technology migration analysis enables cost control with effective performance/cost decision.
For instance, planar FDSOI has significant advantages over planar CMOS and FinFET for the emerging needs of ultra-low power electronics within the Internet of Things (IoT). Advanced design tools are needed to take advantage of the opportunities.
“The ID-Xplore tool is naturally technology independent”, says Ramy Iskander, CEO of Intento Design. “The tool is used to obtain fully sized schematics and circuit performance specifications across different technologies – with near zero engineering time. This saves a significant amount of money and readily frees up engineering staff for other tasks.”