The new Calibre xACT products meet the extensive parasitic circuit parameter extraction needs of advanced processes

     Mentor Graphics announced the launch of its new Calibre® xACT™ platform for extracting parameters from a wide range of analog and digital circuits, including 14nm FINFETs, while minimizing guesswork and setup for IC design engineers. The Calibre xACT platform provides the optimal combination of precision and turnaround time (TAT) for customer-specific process nodes, product applications, design sizes, and circuit parameter extraction goals through automatic optimization of circuit parameter extraction technology. Using the Calibre xACT platform for circuit parasitic parameter extraction meets the strictest accuracy requirements while allowing customers to experience up to a 10-fold reduction in turnaround time.

     "After careful benchmarking of leading circuit parameter extraction products, we selected Calibre xACT as the standard for our signature circuit parameter extraction tool and applied it to all of our next generation designs." Dragomir Nikolic, CAD director at Cypress Semiconductor. "Includes products at 90 nm and 65 nm process nodes. We found that Calibre xACT offers the best combination of high precision and fast turnaround time among many products targeting circuit parameter extraction at the most cutting-edge process nodes. "We also see value in the Calibre xACT circuit parameter extraction tool's ability to produce optimal results in a wide variety of applications, from transistor level to full-chip digital circuit parameter extraction."

     Throughout the design cycle, circuit design engineers must make trade-offs between performance and accuracy. Spurious circuit parameter extraction is no exception. At advanced process nodes that use more complex FinFET components, design engineers are always striving for more exacting precision, as well as higher performance and capacity to achieve billion transistor designs. In fact, in modern ics, the process nodes are becoming increasingly complex with a mix of memory, analog circuits, standard cell libraries, and customized digital content. This complexity presents a different set of challenges for circuit parameter extraction tools. To address these challenges, the Calibre xACT platform combines a compact model, Field Solver technology, and efficient multi-CPU scaling technology to ensure reliable implementation accuracy and schedule deadlines.

     The Calibre xACT circuit parameter extraction platform integrates with the entire Calibre product line for seamless verification processes, including Calibre nmLVS™ products for full transistor-level models. And Calibre xACT 3D products for extremely accurate circuit parameter extraction applications. In addition, it incorporates third-party design environments and formats to ensure compatibility with existing design and simulation processes.