Silvaco Inc., a leading global provider of software, IP and services for
designing chips and electronic systems for semiconductor companies,
today announced Viola I0-X, a scalable semiconductor intellectual
property (IP) characterization and modeling tool and the latest addition
to the Silvaco Foundation IP product line.
By leveraging new Intelligent Optimization delivering 10X faster
performance (I0-X) and embedding Silvaco’s SmartSpice simulator and
Jivaro-A reduction technology, the fully automated Viola I0-X flow
delivers accurate models and faster turnaround time, setting a new
standard in Input/Output (I/O) Pad circuitry characterization and
modeling for designs targeted at nanometer process nodes.
Viola I0-X is an advanced characterization system that automatically
performs static structural analysis on transistor-level netlists of
standard cells and complex custom cells or macros. It uses the results
of this analysis to set up complete characterization constraints and
then leverages the foundry-certified, highly accurate and accelerated
SmartSpice simulator to increase the overall throughput of timing,
power, noise and statistical static timing analysis (SSTA) model
generation. Viola I0-X not only offers faster I/O pad characterization
capabilities, it supports all industry-standard model formats and
includes a closed-loop model validation flow that allows users to
seamlessly launch third-party to verify the generated models.
“Certus provides the most advanced solutions for optimizing area, power,
Electro-Static-Discharge (ESD) protection, features and performance of
I/O circuits,” said Stephen Fairbanks, Director at Certus Semiconductor.
“With Viola IO-X, we met the tight development and characterization
schedule for our client, a leading provider of IoT sensors. Its 10X
faster throughput makes no compromises in accuracy and enables
optimization of the area, power, and performance of I/O pad circuitry.”
“With Viola I0-X, I/O pad developers no longer need in-depth knowledge
of a circuit’s electrical operation to properly set up a
characterization run. Manual modeling efforts are eliminated which leads
to reduced delay in model development and excludes human errors,” said
Ole Christian Andersen, General Manager of the EDA Division at Silvaco.
“The technology in Viola I0-X extracts functionality, identifies all
electrical arcs, and optimizes the complete characterization methodology
for efficiency and accuracy, significantly reducing the time and effort
to model I/O pads and delivers 10X faster I/O Pad characterization
through the use of Silvaco’s Intelligent Optimization technology.”
Viola I0-X: Faster, More Reliable Model Sign-off
At the heart of Viola I0-X are Silvaco’s proprietary circuit functional
recognition, vector generation and SmartSpice simulation and Jivaro-A
reduction technologies . Each contributes to the ease of setup,
accelerated characterization throughput and quality of model sign-off in
Silvaco’s characterization solution:
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Leveraging intelligent algorithms, Viola I0-X automatically recognizes
and models the functionality of standard cells and generates an
efficient vector set for all timing arcs. By eliminating
time-consuming, manual analyses, Viola I0-X dramatically reduces the
time required to set up and characterize I/O pads across a wide range
of functional modes, process points, supply voltages and junction
temperatures. The ability to efficiently handle the increasing number
of process, voltage and temperature (PVT) points and operating modes
is critical to nanometer design success. -
Viola I0-X’s smart topology-driven vector generation features unique
structure-based vector optimization and an intrinsic,
simulation-induced constraint acceleration algorithm. These features
eliminate vector redundancy and avoid unnecessary simulation while
maintaining characterization accuracy. Viola I0-X also offers a
flexible methodology, allowing the user to supply a vector set and its
sequence for specific measurements. -
Viola I0-X supports commercially available SPICE simulators, including
Silvaco’s SmartSpice. When used in conjunction with SmartSpice, Viola
I0-X’s optimized vector generation capabilities deliver an
order-of-magnitude faster throughput than previous generations of
Viola, without any loss of accuracy. SmartSpice is a full SPICE
simulator in wide use by analog/mixed-signal designers, foundries and
IP developers down to 5nm. -
Jivaro-A is the industry-leading RC parasitic reduction technology for
layout parasitic extraction (LPE). Its circuit optimization is based
on accuracy requirements, stability of simulation, realistic values,
reliability of analysis and verifiability. Jivaro-A is not a simple
data crunching or filtering tool. Optimized for SPICE netlists, it
reduces simulation time, increases accuracy compared to built-in
reduction of circuit simulators and offers blazing fast processing.
Pricing and Availability
Viola IO-X is available now. Contact Sales@Silvaco.com
for more details.
56th Design Automation Conference
Silvaco will showcase its suite of solutions from Atoms to Systems at
the 56th Design Automation Conference (DAC) in Las Vegas,
Nevada, June 3 – 5. Silvaco technology experts will be available to
discuss and demonstrate our broad portfolio of smart solutions with
emphasis on new products and capabilities such as Viola IO-X.
About Silvaco, Inc.
Silvaco is a leading EDA tools and semiconductor IP provider used for
process and device development for advanced semiconductors, power IC,
display and memory design. For over 30 years, Silvaco has enabled its
customers to develop next generation semiconductor products in the
shortest time with reduced cost. We are a technology company outpacing
the EDA industry by delivering innovative smart silicon solutions to
meet the world’s ever-growing demand for mobile intelligent computing.
The company is headquartered in Santa Clara, California and has a global
presence with offices located in North America, Europe, Japan and Asia.
For more information, visit Silvaco.com.
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