13 January 2011

TowerJazz adds high-speed and high-power 0.18µm SiGe PDKs for Agilent’s ADS software

Specialty foundry TowerJazz (which has two fabrication plants at Tower Semiconductor Ltd in Migdal Haemek, Israel plus one at its US subsidiary Jazz Semiconductor in Newport Beach, CA) has announced the availability of additional process design kits (PDKs) for its 0.18µm silicon germanium (SiGe) process platform, targeting high-frequency products for optical networks, automotive radar and 60GHz WiFi, as well as high-power front-end-modules for wireless handsets.

The PDKs were developed for use with the Advanced Design System (ADS) 2009U1 software of Agilent Technologies Inc of Santa Clara CA. Advanced Design System is electronic design automation (EDA) software for RF, microwave, and signal integrity applications. Both TowerJazz and Agilent are showcasing the new PDKs at the 2011 IEEE Radio Wireless Week (RWW) event in Phoenix, AZ (17–18 January).

The PDKs from TowerJazz and Agilent Technologies’ EEsof EDA organization include ADS design kits for SBC18HA/HXL/H2 (high-speed SiGe technology with cutoff frequency as high as 200GHz) and a power amplifier design library (PADL) with characterized power cells for use in wireless front-end-module applications for cell phone and WiFi devices. The objective is to help users get new products to market faster by providing an accurate and productive work environment for SiGe monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) and power amplifier (PA) design solutions.

As an example, the PADL reduces design spins through availability of fully silicon verified power cells ready for use in addition to a custom power cell design flow that encompasses Agilent’s ADS software. This, combined with TowerJazz’s library of high-quality passive devices (including thick-metal inductors and high-density MIM capacitors) enables complete PA design. The PADL delivers a full PA design flow from schematic to layout, including device models characterized over DC, temperature, small-signal, and large-signal load-pull measurements. In addition, the PADL contains silicon-verified power cells with P1dB (compression point) of 20–33dBm (equivalent to 2W). Full simulation test benches are available in ADS and silicon load-pull data for cellular and PCS bands are provided.

As another example, TowerJazz SBC18HA/HXL and H2 PDKs are used with Agilent’s ADS to enable RF designers to design first-in-class ICs that meet the demands of high-speed optical and high-frequency wireless markets such as automotive collision avoidance, backhaul wireless, phased-array radar and aerospace, commercial and military markets. They support a complete ADS front-to-back design flow with embedded Jazz Inductor Toolbox (JIT) and CNEX netlist definitions for layout-versus-schematic (LVS) support.

“Our ongoing work with TowerJazz is in direct response to demand from our mutual customers for a fast, efficient and low-cost RFIC design flow,” says Mark Pierpoint, VP & general manager of Agilent’s EEsof EDA Organization. “With the new SiGe PDKs in ADS 2009U1, customers will now be able to design high-performance ICs operating at 60GHz and higher using the full breadth of capability ADS provides,” he adds.

“The new Agilent ADS SiGe PDKs allow customers familiar with the ADS environment for GaAs-based high-frequency and power-amplifier design to smoothly transition and benefit from the features the ADS environment affords them today,” notes Marco Racanelli, senior VP & general manager, RF and High Performance Analog business group and Aerospace & Defense business group at TowerJazz. “This will result in faster design cycles, consistent results and possibly higher yields for our mutual customers.”

Tags: TowerJazz Agilent SiGe PDK

Visit: www.towerjazz.com

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