Date: 9th Jun 2011
Mentor is providing DRC and LVS tools
to make 3D-ICs
In close partnership with Tezzaron Semiconductor and MOSIS,
Mentor Graphics Corporation has announced that it is providing
DRC and LVS tools that support 3D-IC physical verification
to 3D-IC developers. 3D-IC fabrication involves using tens
of millions of through silicon vias (TSVs) with dimensions
as small as 1.2 x 6 microns and a pitch of 2.4 microns,
producing up to 300,000 vertical interconnects per square
millimeter.
"Our collaboration allows firms to explore practical
applications of true 3D-IC integration in a way that reduces
risk and cost, while taking advantage of over a decade of
experience in manufacturing 3D-ICs with high density TSVs,"
said Robert Patti, CTO of Tezzaron Semiconductor.
"Adding Tezzaron's offering to our Multi Project Wafer
(MPW) services allows companies to test out 3D-IC concepts
using the same provider and model they currently use for
their standard semiconductors," said Wes Hansford,
director at MOSIS. "By coordinating resources and schedules,
we can significantly reduce the effort and risk involved
in getting the silicon-proven data required to make effective
product roadmap decisions."
"We're working with Tezzaron and MOSIS to ensure that
even at the prototype stage our customers will be able to
access production-certified Calibre solutions to verify
that their 3D-IC designs are manufacturable," said
Joseph Sawicki, vice president and general manager of the
Design-to-Silicon Division at Mentor Graphics. "The
Calibre solution uses foundry-certified PDKs from MOSIS
wafer suppliers with extensions for MOSIS-Tezzaron 3D-IC
designs."
MOSIS 3D-ICs services include reticle creation, fab reservations,
final packaging and testing, and other logistics. Tezzaron's
services include backend-manufacturing steps including wafer
thinning, backside metal and wafer bonding.
|