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Product Briefing Outline: Synopsys Inc. has introduced a new family of process-aware design-for-manufacturing (PA-DFM) products that analyze variability effects at the custom/analog design stage for 45nm node and below. The PA-DFM product family's core products -- Synopsys Seismos and Paramos - link manufacturing variation information back to design, enabling custom IC (IP, cell, memory and analog) designers to optimize layouts and maximize yields. Read more >>

Product Briefing Outline: PDF Solutions Inc. has introduced a new release of its ‘Circuit Surfer' software for characterizing and optimizing the parametric yield of analog and radio frequency (RF) integrated circuit (IC) designs. The new release features the company's patented mismatch simulation technology, which helps to minimize the number of simulations required to characterize parametric yield. It is also claimed to reduce design re-spins by identifying parametric yield loss mechanisms not visible when using verification methods based on corner modeling. Read more >>

Product Briefing Outline: Carl Zeiss SMT has announced the development of its lithography optical system, ‘Starlith' 1900i. The new system has a numerical aperture (NA) of 1.35, the highest NA currently designed, that will be used for volume chip production at 40nm half-pitch node. The system will be part of ASML's new ‘TWINSCAN' XT:1900i immersion lithography tool that will begin shipments in 2007. Read more >>

Product Briefing Outline: ASML has introduced the ‘TWINSCAN' XT:1900i. In combination with ASML proprietary low k1 capabilities, this new system is designed to extend optical immersion lithography for volume production at the 40nm half-pitch dimensions with an overlay specification of 6nm (SMO). ASML's newest 193-nm wavelength immersion scanner uses a 1.35 NA inline catadioptric lens assembly that is near the practical limit for water-based immersion technology. ASML expects to begin shipping the XT:1900i by mid 2007. Read more >>

Product Briefing Outline: Brion Technologies has introduced the ‘Tachyon M3D,' computational technology to enable more accurate OPC and OPC verification by incorporating mask 3D imaging effects. Read more >>

Product Briefing Outline: Nikon Corporation has introduced a new lithography tool that is designed to meet the requirements for mass production of 45nm memory and of 32nm logic devices. The NSR-S610C, an ArF immersion scanner, includes an advanced 1.30 NA projection lens and POLANO, Nikon's fourth generation polarization technology. The system will also include proprietary Nikon Local Fill Technology and the Tandem Stage, which enable the system to achieve a claimed throughput of 130 wafers or more per hour. Systems will start shipping by the end of 2006, according to the company. Read more >>

Product Briefing Outline: Blaze DFM, has announced the Release 1.1 update to ‘Blaze MO' optimization software, the company's "Electrical DFM" solution. In electrical DFM, "design requirements" explicitly refers to timing and power (electrical) requirements, not just geometric information. Bringing design requirements forward into manufacturing means using the actual timing and power constraints supplied by the design team to drive what happens in manufacturing. Typically, this is done by interfacing with the resolution enhancement technology (RET) process in manufacturing. Read more >>

Product Briefing Outline: Litel Instruments, has released of two new products designed to increase silicon chip performance and yield in leading edge semiconductor factories. The new products, dubbed ‘Distortion Mapper' (DMAP) and ‘Transmission Mapper' (TMAP), are used for analyzing and optimizing lens and illumination performance of photolithography tools. Read more >>

Product Briefing Outline: Synopsys has launched its PrimeYield tool suite that is designed to integrate design with manufacturing by accurately predicting design-induced mechanisms that threaten manufacturing tolerances and by providing automated correction guidance to upstream design implementation tools. PrimeYield provides predictive and corrective actions for manufacturing-sensitive design patterns before tapeout, according to the company. This is due to using production-baseline technology and manufacturing models by the leading foundries and integrated device manufacturers (IDMs). Synopsys reports that PrimeYield can reduce time to yield by 4 to 6 weeks at advanced nodes. Read more >>

Product Briefing Outline: Entegris has introduced its ‘LiquidLens' ultrapure water (UPW) purification system that is designed specifically for 193nm ArF immersion lithography systems. The sub-system combines advanced technology and process expertise from both Entegris and the former Mykrolis as a result of their merger in August 2005 to tackle high-purity issues associated with the needs of immersion lithography. Read more >>