EDN’s 20th annual Innovation Awards Finalists

EDN Staff - February 18, 2010

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Category: EDA: Back-End Tools
Finalist: Encounter Digital Implementation System, Cadence Design Systems

In 2009, Cadence extended the Encounter® Digital Implementation (EDI) System into the 3DIC world with integrated 3DIC/TSV implementation and analysis. The first challenge in the 3DIC- TSV realization process is “How can a user describe the stacking of the multiple die, specify the flipping, orientation, rotation and offset between die, and do the implementation (floorplan, placement and routing) of these die?” EDI System answers that question in several ways. The EDI System has a GUI or text interface to input this 3DIC data. and to allow, for example, mapping from one die to a second die using die flipping and offset, so the user does not have to do this manually. The EDI System offers 3DIC/TSV floorplanning, automatic placement of the TSV, TSV net assignment, optimization and RDL (Re-Distribution Layer) routing between the package bumps and the TSV, and the TSV and the IO pad cells. The system also added the capability to edit one die while viewing an abstract of another die allowing a visual check and manual editing. The system offers complete electrical and thermal analysis, tightly coupled with Cadence packaging tools. Users can extract resistance and generate reports on timing, voltage drops, thermal maps and connectivity.

This EDI System 3DIC/TSV development is now backed by two test chips, and several others are in the pipeline for end of 2009 and early 2010.