Microwave Journal
www.microwavejournal.com/articles/9644-agilent-announces-united-microelectronics-certification-of-goldengate-software

Agilent Announces United Microelectronics Certification of GoldenGate Software

June 9, 2010

Agilent Technologies Inc. announced that United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC) has certified Agilent’s GoldenGate RFIC simulator as part of UMC’s internal model validation program. The addition of the GoldenGate RFIC simulator to UMC’s advanced RF technologies will enhance the accuracy, model compatibility and simulation efficiency to help accelerate the design cycle and time-to-market for UMC’s RFIC customers.

“We are glad to have Agilent’s GoldenGate RFIC simulator added to the UMC model verification flow because it ensures our mutual customers can use a highly accurate simulation engine and flow for RFIC design and verification at 65 nm, 40 nm and beyond,” said C.S. Yeh, Director of UMC’s Advanced Technology Development modeling division. “Designs at advanced process nodes are more complex, and both model accuracy and compatibility play an important role in leading edge RFIC design success. In fact, UMC customers are already showing success using our advanced RFIC technologies and GoldenGate.”

“The long-standing working relationship between Agilent and UMC allows us to be very responsive to our mutual customers’ needs,” said Avery Chung, Foundry Program Manager with Agilent EEsof EDA. “We are pleased with the certification of GoldenGate, its inclusion as part of the UMC model verification flow, and current customer successes. This demonstrates that UMC’s customers can design RFICs with confidence using Agilent’s GoldenGate simulator and UMC’s advanced RF process technologies.”

GoldenGate RFIC simulator is an advanced simulation and analysis solution for integrated mixed-signal RFIC design. Its unique simulation algorithms are optimized for the challenging demands of today’s complex RFICs, while its capacity enables full characterization of complete transceivers, including parasitics, prior to tape-out. GoldenGate takes advantage of frequency-domain, time-domain and mixed-signal simulation technologies to ensure proper device operation, increased manufacturability and reduced design spins. A suite of automation tools increases overall simulation coverage, helping designers launch multiple, parallel simulations, quickly analyze circuit performances, and diagnose problems with mixed-signal RFICs earlier in the design cycle.

GoldenGate is part of Agilent’s RFIC simulation, analysis and verification solution that also includes Momentum for 3-D planar electromagnetic simulation, Ptolemy Wireless Test Benches for system level verification, and the Advanced Design System EDA Data Display for advanced RF data analysis. This suite links the RF system, subsystem, and component-level design and analysis as part of a unique and comprehensive design flow.