Software solution enables faster failure analysis

EDA vendor Magma Design Automation has introduced a software solution that is said to extend CAD navigation and circuit debug from ICs to PCBs and multichip modules.

Magma claimed that its BoardView solution enables fab teams to "rapidly" trace signals on the PCB from chips to board and back again, thus navigate failure analysis tools to X, Y locations to determine the case of the fault.

The company noted that BoardView leverages its Camelot technology aimed at IC CAD navigation and circuit debug to trace signals between the chip and the board. It reads PCB and chip layout formats and displays them graphically.

BoardView support formats such as OASIS, Virtuoso, Gerber, GDSII and AutoCAD Drawing Exchange Format. And, chip layouts are loaded from the Camelot database, Magma specified.

BoardView is currently in limited release, but Magma said it expects it will be generally available in Q1 10.

Magma is currently engaged with several U.S. and European customers for beta testing, said Jim Kramer, U.S. accounts and strategic products manager for Magma's fab analysis business unit, to EE Times.

Kramer added that Magma has worked closely with its customers to validate the need for and define this product' capabilities. "As a result, we have received tremendous interest in our beta test program."

And, questioned about Magma's current focus to enhance BroadView's capabilities, Kramer declared: "Since this is the initial version of BoardView, it has very basic features and capabilities to trace electrical conductivity between device, bonds and boards and vice versa. During the beta program, we intend to further develop the roadmap for new features and functions of the product. We target a production release in the second quarter of 2010 time frame.

- Anne-Francoise Pele
EE Times Europe

For application notes on analysis tool click here.