UMC Brings Comprehensive Reference Design Flow to 90nm SoC Designers

RTL-to-GDSII flow addresses signal and power integrity while incorporating DFM solutions to help customers streamline their path to silicon

HSINCHU, Taiwan, November 9, 2005 -- UMC (NYSE: UMC; TSE: 2303), a world leading semiconductor foundry, today announced the availability of a comprehensive reference flow for 90nm system-on-chip (SoC) designs. The silicon-verified, RTL-to-GDSII flow is based upon the foundry's proven 0.13um low-power design package (http://www.umc.com/English/news/20050927.asp as announced in September), and incorporates timing closure, signal integrity, and power closure features to help SoC designers overcome 90nm design-related challenges. Moreover, the added dimension of the latest design for manufacturing (DFM) rules, applied within the reference flow, provides designers with new capabilities to achieve accurate, first-time-right designs and shortened time-to-market.

Ken Liou, director of the IP and Design Support Division at UMC, said, "SoC designers today require proven design support solutions to help them overcome the challenges of 90nm and below technologies. The availability of our newest, comprehensive reference flow promises to help our customers navigate the most seamless path to 90nm silicon success by providing a feature-rich solution that is supported by the latest EDA tools and DFM methodologies."

The design flow focuses on improving DFM issues by applying DFM-aware technology files at strategic areas of the flow. DFM rules and technology data are incorporated into libraries in both front-end and back-end views; thus, the entire design flow has taken DFM into consideration.

To validate the 90nm RTL-to-GDSII flow, UMC utilized its 0.13um LEON2 CPU based technology demonstrator as a reference design to implement a top-down solution. Design for test (DFT) and design for diagnosis (DFD) elements are featured to ensure design accuracy. The reference flow is available now for download at www.umc.com.

UMC (NYSE: UMC, TSE: 2303) is a leading global semiconductor foundry that manufactures advanced process ICs for applications spanning every major sector of the semiconductor industry. UMC delivers cutting-edge foundry technologies that enable sophisticated system-on-chip (SoC) designs, including 90nm copper, 0.13um copper, and mixed signal/RFCMOS. UMC is also a leader in 300mm manufacturing; Fab 12A in Taiwan and Singapore-based Fab 12i are both in volume production for a variety of customer products. UMC employs approximately 10,500 people worldwide and has offices in Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Europe, and the United States. UMC can be found on the web at http://www.umc.com.