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Magma DRC qualifies for TSMC 65nm, but company covers its back |
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Apr 24, 2006 at 05:02 PM |
 Magma Design Automation's Quartz design rule check (DRC) software has been qualified for designs targeted at TSMC's 90nm and 65nm processes. The rule checks are available from TSMC-Online.
Quartz DRC aims to verify any design in few hours and is a result of Magma's acquisition of Mojave Design. However, the company also issues a "safe harbor" warning (US Private Securities Litigation Reform Act 1995) that includes the statement:
"These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially including but not limited to the ability of Magma's and TSMC's products to produce the desired results, the companies' abilities to keep pace with rapidly changing technology and the companies' decisions to continue working together." Among possible forward-looking uncertainties, one has "statements about TSMC's intention to accept Quartz DRC as sign-off; the expected availability of the 90- and 65-nm rule sets for TSMC processes; Quartz DRC's ability to verify designs in a few hours; and statements about the features and benefits of Magma's software and the TSMC's processes". Magma has also trademarked the phrase "The Fastest Path from RTL to Silicon".
Anyway . . .
"We have tested the accuracy of Quartz DRC for our 90- and 65-nm processes using the same rigorous qualification procedures and test structures we use for all DRC tools," said Ed Wan, senior director, Design Service Marketing at TSMC. "We believe Quartz DRC can provide a significant turnaround time advantage."
TSMC estimates that 65nm production will ramp during 2006, and the company will also launch 65nm prototyping shuttles every other month, enabling customers and EDA, IP and library suppliers to prototype and qualify their leading-edge designs.
TSMC's 65-nm Nexsys technology is the company's third-generation semiconductor process employing both copper interconnects and low-k dielectrics. It is a 9-layer metal process with core voltages of 1.0 or 1.2 volts, and I/O voltages of 1.8, 2.5 or 3.3 volts.
Magma provides software for IC implementation, analysis, physical verification, characterization and programmable logic design, and integrated RTL-to-GDSII design flows.
By Dr Mike Cooke
Photo: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
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