No Compromise: Fast, Accurate Parasitic Extraction at Advanced Nodes

By Chris Clee – Mentor, A Siemens Business

Calibre’s innovative hybrid approach to parasitic extraction can solve your PEX challenges while keeping you on schedule

Technical design challenges that began appearing at the 16 nm node, like multi-patterning mask misalignment, 3D finFET transistors, and local interconnect, had a dramatic impact on the difficulty of parasitic extraction, which has only become more acute with each successive process generation. Designers were forced to use multiple extraction techniques to deliver the extraction accuracy essential for detailed 3D structures like finFETs, while also trying to achieving the performance necessary to enable fast throughput of full-chip designs. A better idea? A hybrid technique that combines interlinked extraction engines, and uses advanced heuristics to seamlessly and autonomously apply the best solution.

The Calibre® xACT™ platform incorporates both rule-based and field solver extraction in an integrated solution that provides the precision needed for nanometer design challenges like multi-patterning and finFETs, while simultaneously delivering the performance and accuracy required to complete extraction over many millions of nets on diverse routing layers and still meet tapeout time constraints. And, the Calibre xACT platform is fully integrated into upstream design flows and downstream simulation environments, so it’s a drop-in solution in the complete design space. With this enhanced access to both field solver-accurate results and rule-based turnaround times, designers can get the most from both their extraction flow and the process technology, regardless of the node they use.