Circuit Semantics forges ahead after legal setback

Circuit Semantics, which lost trade-secrets litigation last September, forcing it to forfeit source code for the DynaSpice SPICE simulator to Silvaco International, said it is back on the road to recovery.

Ewald Detjens, president and CEO of Circuit Semantics, said the company is moving on despite last year's legal setback. The ruling cost the company one-fourth of its product line.

"The company is doing extremely well at this point," said Detjens. "We are focused in the correct area where customers need to focus."

In order to get back on its feet, the company sold key technology patents for $9 million to an undisclosed major EDA vendor. The proceeds were used to settle much of its legal obligation to Silvaco, but Circuit Semantics still has the right to develop and sell technologies based on those patents.

The company has found a new Spice simulation engine to replace DynaSpice called the SPICE simulation engine. It has been closely integrated with the DynaCore and DynCell products, but was handed over to Silvaco as part of their legal settlement.

Circuit Semantics completed an OEM agreement with tiny simulation startup Legend Design Technology Inc. that allows Circuit Semantics to combine Legend's MSIM Spice simulator with its full custom, SPICE level characterization products, DynaCore and DynaCell. Based on the settlement, Circuit Semantics can also resell the MSIM simulator when it is bundled with Dyna-line tools. MSIM is priced at $8,000 for a perpetual license when sold bundled with a Circuit Semantics tool and $4,000 for a one-year license.

Detjens said Circuit Semantics, which has 17 employees and has a total of $13 million in funding since being founded in 1997, remains unprofitable. But he claims momentum in the full custom, COT and very high-end ASIC markets with its three main products, DynaCell, DynaCore and DynaModel.

The company also is readying a ATPG additional to its DynaModel product called DynaTest. The company has yet to reveal details of the new product, but its Web site states that the add-on will allow DynaModel to generate functional Verilog models for ATPG.

- Michael Santarini

EE Times