NEWS

WIRES

OTHER

HiSIM-RF Surface Potential Model Ready for CMC Standardization

Silvaco, a leading vendor of commercial circuit simulation software, today announced that the HiSIM-RF Surface Potential SPICE Model developed at Hiroshima University, a leading Japanese research institution in SPICE model development, has been engineered with Berkeley-style data structures, integrated in Silvaco's circuit simulators and is ready for easy integration into other commercial and proprietary simulators of Compact Model Council members.

The Compact Model Council is a group of 27 companies that was formed in August 1996, for the purpose of promoting the international, nonexclusive standardization in the use and implementation of compact model formulations and the model interfaces. The CMC examines, promotes and standardizes compact modeling efforts based upon business needs of its members and provides a standardization process to the compact model developers, such as Hiroshima University, the University of California, Berkeley, and others.

Compact models are mathematical descriptions (equations) of semiconductor devices used by analog circuit simulators. Integrated circuit designers and printed circuit board designers use circuit simulators to accurately predict the behavior of electronic devices before the devices are manufactured.

"The HiSIM-RF Surface Potential Model accurately reflects the electrical properties of the next generation semiconductor processes for digital, analog and RF applications," said Dr. Mitiko Miura-Mattausch, professor of the Hiroshima University Graduate School of Advanced Sciences of Matter. "HiSIM-RF has only 115, very physical parameters for easy model extraction from the most advanced nanometer processes."

"The HiSIM-RF model is more accurate and executes much faster than the current BSIM4 model," said Dr. Ivan Pesic, CEO of Silvaco Japan. "HiSIM-RF is easy to integrate into any circuit simulator because the model interface conforms to the de-facto Berkeley-style interface."

HiSIM Surface Potential Model

Dr. Miura-Mattausch first applied a surface potential model at Siemens AG in 1993 for DRAM development. The HiSIM 1.0 model was released to circuit simulation vendors by the Semiconductor Technology Academic Research Center http://www.starc.jp/index-e.html)"> and Hiroshima University in 2001 with a public release in 2002. The HiSIM-RF MOSFET model submitted to the CMC for standardization has one third the number of parameters of BSIM4 models, achieves excellent curve fits with no binning, and accurately reflects the behavior of impurity profiles, pocket implants, STI stress, short channel effects, universal mobility, channel length modulation, output resistance, noise, and leakage currents. HiSIM-RF models are available in open source format, used by industry leaders and supported by all leading commercial as well as selected proprietary simulators. Development and maintenance for HiSIM-RF models are efficiently provided by Hiroshima University and STARC as well as the newly established HiSIM Center http://www.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/en/adsm/researchprojects/hisim/index.html)">.

Silvaco Analog/Mixed-Signal/RF Circuit Simulators

As one of the sponsors of the HiSIM-RF model, Silvaco has integrated the model into its SmartSpice Circuit Simulator, SmartSpice-RF Harmonic Balance-based Simulator, and Harmony-AMS Mixed-Signal Simulator for model evaluation according to CMC model selection guidelines. The model parameters used for this evaluation were extracted from CMC 90nm device data using Silvaco's UTMOST SPICE Modeling Software with a genetic optimization algorithm. Silvaco is ready to offer a license of SmartSpice integrated with the HiSIM-RF Surface Potential Model to CMC members who are evaluating the HiSIM-RF model for the standardization.

About Hiroshima University Graduate School of Advanced Sciences of Matter

The Graduate School of Advanced Sciences of Matter (ADSM), Hiroshima University, was established in 1998 in collaboration with Research Center for Nanodevices and Systems and other relative institutes and faculties of the University as an independent graduate school with two-year Master's and three-year Doctoral programs. Currently ADSM offers six sub-majors under three departments, "Quantum Matter," "Molecular Biotechnology" and "Semiconductor Electronics & Integration Science." Funding for the development and support of HiSIM is provided by grants from STARC, a consortium of Japanese semiconductor companies.

About Silvaco

Silvaco International, headquartered in Santa Clara, California, is a leading vendor of electronic design automation software (EDA) for the development of analog and mixed signal integrated circuits. Founded in 1984, the company delivers technology computer aided design (TCAD) simulation software, SPICE parameter extraction, circuit simulation, and physical IC design/verification software products. The company integrates these proven products with experienced support and engineering services to provide complete semiconductor process, device and design automation solutions in CMOS, bipolar, SiGe, and compound technologies. Worldwide customers include leading foundries, fabless semiconductor companies, integrated semiconductor manufacturers, universities, and designers of integrated circuits who require the utmost accuracy in their analog designs.

Distributed by Market Wire