July 11, 2011 -- Synopsys, Inc. today announced IC Compiler-Advanced Geometry, a new configuration of its leading IC Compiler physical design product. IC Compiler-Advanced Geometry targets design support for double-patterning technology (DPT), which has emerged as a key requirement for the next generation of silicon technology at 20nm and imposes strict constraints on placement, routing and physical verification.

As industry leaders in IC design and manufacturing race to prepare for 20-nm technology, Synopsys has successfully collaborated with foundry partners as well as major customers to validate that IC Compiler is 20nm-ready. IC Compiler, a key component of the Galaxy Implementation Platform, provides one of the most efficient DPT-ready physical implementation solutions with minimal impact on turn-around time and traditional design metrics of device area, speed, and power.

The current lithography approach supporting IC manufacturing reaches a theoretical limit at the 20-nm node, making it difficult to achieve minimum resolution for silicon structures. There are two possible approaches: 20-nm design must either adopt a resolution that is sparser than minimum, and not silicon-efficient; or the design must be split into two sets of alternating structures, each more sparse than minimum but together fully utilizing available silicon resource. The latter, termed double-pattern technology, requires a place-and-route tool to accurately generate a layout where each candidate layer can be decomposed into dual alternating patterns without undue impact on performance and device area.

The new configuration of IC Compiler includes innovative technology to formulate double-patterning requirements as a generalized coloring problem, avoiding any potential conflicts and rendering a correct-by-construction solution that can be reliably decomposed during manufacturing. Central to this solution is IC Compiler's placement engine and the award-winning Zroute technology, which have both been enhanced to be DPT-driven. In addition, IC Validator's In-Design Physical Verification has been enhanced for DPT compliance, enabling IC designers to verify before hand-off to manufacturing that target layers in the design are decomposable.