IBM, Chartered and Samsung Extend Integrated DFM Support for Common Platform Technology to 45nm

SAN DIEGO, CA - As the Common PlatformTM technology alliance, IBM, Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing and Samsung Electronics, Co., Ltd. today announced the availability of design-for-manufacturing (DFM) technology models, data files and design kits from leading EDA and DFM companies, supporting Common Platform technology at 45 nanometer (nm). This is the second node, following 65nm, where the alliance partners have driven comprehensive DFM solutions, which marry technology and tool support from leading EDA and DFM suppliers with manufacturing data and models from the Common Platform technology foundries to help ensure the success of chip designs at this advanced technology node across all three manufacturers’ fabs.

The Common Platform technology alliance is exhibiting this week in booth #2460 at the 44th annual Design Automation Conference in San Diego, Calif.

“Our goal is to enable our customers to make informed decisions about design tradeoffs which for today’s leading-edge technologies include manufacturability,” said Ana Molnar Hunter, vice president of technology, Samsung Semiconductor, Inc. “At 45nm, DFM is integral in linking design, process flow, and manufacturing, giving designers more control and predictability over the outcome for robust variation-aware designs.”

The 45nm DFM offering for Common Platform technology supports a wide range of capabilities, which address the critical manufacturing-related issues from design to mask making. While continuing to support existing capabilities from multiple companies previously announced at 65nm, the Common Platform companies have enabled additional tools, including DFM tools from Mentor Graphics that perform critical area analysis (CAA) and critical feature analysis (CFA) and a silicon-validated CMP Predictor from Cadence Design Systems.

The move to 45nm requires even greater cooperation across multiple tool suppliers, and to address this challenge and better serve customers, the Common Platform companies are driving unprecedented industry collaboration and integration of design solutions and are demonstrating cross-vendor tool integration at DAC.

About the Common Platform

IBM, Chartered and Samsung Electronics have broken new ground in the semiconductor industry with a unique collaboration focused on leading-edge, jointly developed digital CMOS process technologies and advanced manufacturing. The Common Platform model is further supported by a comprehensive ecosystem of design enablement and implementation partners from the EDA, IP and design services industries. This ecosystem allows foundry customers to source their chip designs to multiple 300mm foundries with minimal design work, unprecedented flexibility and choice. The Common Platform model features 90nm, 65nm, 45nm and 32nm technologies. For more information on the Common Platform, visit www.commonplatform.com.