Nassda launches HSIMplus platform

With a new post-layout analyses that address signal integrity and the reliability of signal and power networks for complex ICs manufactured in 130nm processes and below, the HSIMplus platform from Nassda Corp. consists of the HSIM v5.0 simulator and a suite of eight options.

"Nassda's release of HSIMplus expands and builds upon the production-proven HSIM simulator to address the most critical problems associated with the physical effects of interconnect wiring and short-channel effects in nanometer IC designs," said Dr. An-Chang Deng, President of Nassda.

The HSIMplus provides a comprehensive solution for post-layout analysis of timing and power behavior and signal integrity effects. The full-chip verification and analysis capabilities of the platform are suitable for analog, memory, mixed-signal, custom digital and SoC designs.

"HSIMplus is Nassda's complete transistor-level simulation and analysis platform for the design and verification of nanometer integrated circuits," added Deng.

Suite of options

The analysis options that the platform includes are Power Network Reliability that provides dynamic voltage drop and electromigration analysis of power networks, Static Power Network Resistance that enables users to perform a static electrical check of the power network, Signal Net Reliability that allows users to perform electromigration analysis for signal nets in designs, Signal Integrity, and MOSFET Reliability that ascertains the degradation on circuit performance caused by hot carrier injection (HCI) on NMOS devices and negative bias thermal instability (NBTI) on PMOS.

The platform also features Verilog-A Compilation Support (VACS) and Improved Cadence Analog Design Environment Integration. The company claims that since HSIMplus supports compilation of Open Verilog International standard Verilog-A for describing components using analog behavioral models, users can move to higher levels of abstraction in their design with Verilog-A models.

An electric field solver is also added to the HSIMplus for analyzing user-defined transmission lines with their frequency dependant effects. The platform determines the RLGC matrix which is used in simulations to study the electrical behavior of multiconductor transmission lines on circuit operation. This capability enable the analysis of very high-speed interconnects and connectors found in PCB and IC designs.

The HSIMplus v5.0 will run on Sun Solaris, HP-UX, Microsoft Windows NT/2000/XP, and Linux OSs. Time-based list prices start at $85,000 for HSIMplus and start at $25,000 for the new HSIMplus options. However, current HSIM customers under maintenance will receive HSIMplus v5.0 for no additional charges.