Multinational computer technology and consulting corporation IBM and yield improvement technologies and services provider PDF Solutions have signed an agreement to develop an integrated circuit design platform to mitigate the effects of escalating design and manufacturing process complexity at the 32-, 28-, and 22-nanometer (nm) dimensions.
The two companies plan to develop a software and design IP platform that can provide efficient and cost-effective design templates to give designers more design flexibility and creativity at advanced process nodes, by leveraging IBM's leading-edge semiconductor design and process development expertise and PDF Solutions' innovative pdBRIX IC design solution.
The effort is part of an IBM-led initiative called Computational Scaling, a process that uses mathematical techniques -- including design rules and models -- to enable the production of complex, powerful and energy-efficient semiconductors at advanced technology nodes.
IBM and PDF Solutions' planned IC design platform will use a template-based solution to form all logic circuits by assembly of a small, manageable set of chip layout building blocks, replacing the need for complex design rules. The physical layouts that result from this approach are expected to improve both manufacturability and designability of advanced ICs -- all while helping to reduce the cost and time of hardware qualification.
This agreement is a continuation of the long relationship between PDF Solutions and IBM, extending from the 90nm through 32nm nodes. Initial results demonstrating the feasibility of creating a competitive design from logic templates is planned to be presented at the SPIE Design for Manufacturability through Design-Process Integration conference.
Gary Patton, vice president of IBM Semiconductor Research and Development Center, said: "Enabling cost-effective scaling to advanced technology nodes will require innovation spanning the entire design-to-silicon flow. PDF Solutions' pdBRIX™ IC design approach is a strong complement to IBM's proven strength in technology optimization, and aligns closely with the goals of IBM's Computational Scaling initiative."
PDF Solutions and IBM plan to initially develop a set of templates to assist designers in the creation of IP at the 32nm node.
