Mask / Fabrication Houses

Silicon Foundries and Mask Shops are investing significant amount of resources in moving towards new deep sub-micron processes. In order for the customers of the foundries and mask shops to leverage on these new deep-sub micron processes, closer interaction with EDA is needed. This interaction would need to be captured in the next generation Design-For-Manufacturability/Design-For-Yield tools to enable design customers to achieve silicon success at finer geometries. Alongside each new process, foundries need to provide reference design flows and design kits to customers. Foundries and Mask Shops can also make use of Design Automation technologies to automate and optimize their internal process steps. The above is valid for not only the independent silicon foundries and mask shops but also as the manufacturing related groups of Integrated Device Manufacturers.

Our offerings
SoftJin offers a combination of EDA product development services, EDA products and Design Technology Services for the specific requirements of Foundries and Mask Shops.

EDA Products:
    Nirmaan: SoftJin offers NxDAT, which is a software for efficient Analysis, Classification and Trend Analysis of Defects identified by Mask Inspection Systems. The software includes features for easy and fast defect navigation, visual display, defect selection and filtering, defect classification, clustering, sophisticated CD analysis, analysis over multiple Inspections, Repeatability and Trend Analysis. These features significantly improve the productivity of the mask inspection operators. The software supports several types of defect analyses including Die-to-Die and Die-to-Database thereby making it applicable at both Mask Shops and Wafer Fabs.
    Please click here for more information on Nirmaan.

    NxDAT: SoftJin offers Nirmaan, which is a unique toolkit for EDA tool developers, that accelerates development of optimized post layout EDA tools, including DFM/DFY tools. At sub 90 nanometer geometries, the post layout tool development challenges include handling of huge layout data and performing complex geometrical operations in an efficient manner. Nirmaan is first of its kind development toolkit that addresses this challenge. Nirmaan enables Foundries and Mask Shops to develop their own Layout enhancement tools including Mask Data Preparation, Rule checkers, RET (OPC/PSM) and Mask/Die data inspection tools.
    NxDAT’s “open architecture” makes it easily extensible to support multiple Mask Inspection and Metrology tools from different vendors. A unique Plug-In interface to NxDAT enables Users to add their own proprietary defect analysis and image processing algorithms as well. NxDAT combines Mask Inspection and Design Automation worlds by supporting correlation of defect data on reticles with Design layout data in any major industry standard Layout and Mask Data formats.
    Please click here for more information on NxDAT.

    NxCompare: SoftJin offers NxCompare is a fast and versatile comparison tool that can be used to compare any two Layout or Mask databases (Layout vs Layout, Layout vs Mask or Mask vs Mask). NxCompare could be used very effectively in a variety of use scenarios in Foundries and Mask Shops. These include quick equivalence checking of layout databases in the post tapeout flow by allowing layout comparisons at different levels of abstraction. In the Mask data flow, NxCompare allows independent verification of fracturing results (in formats for Mask Writer or Mask Inspection) with original layout data (in GDSII/OASIS/OpenAccess formats). NxCompare can also be used to overlay and compare Mask Inspection / SEM image data with original Layout.
    Please click here for more information on NxCompare.

    GDSIIZIP and MEBESZIP: The size of Layout and Mask data is growing continuously with each technology node leading to problems of data transfer, data storage and File I/O for EDA tools. As per ITRS roadmap, the layout data volume is expected to be up to 850 GB for a single layer for 45nm half pitch node by 2010. SoftJin has developed patent pending data compression technology specially targeted at IC Layout and Mask Data. Based on the technology, SoftJin is offering reversible (bit-by-bit matching) compression products for GDSII and MEBES formats. The compression ratio is higher than the currently available solutions from other vendors.
    Please click here for more information on our Layout and Mask Data Compression Tools.

    Anuvad: OASIS is the upcoming standard for layout and EB data, which is expected to replace GDSII and MEBES in coming years. SoftJin's Anuvad tool suite includes GDSII/OASIS libraries and translators which can be downloaded free in source code from here. Anuvad suite allows conversion of legacy GDSII data into OASIS format for seamless transition. The suite also enables early adoption of OASIS based methodology by helping kick start OASIS based tool development.

    SoftJin also offers OASIS based customized tool development services.
Customized EDA tool development services:
    Post Layout tools: SoftJin has strong capability in the area of post layout analysis and enhancement tools. This is based upon the following relevant areas of our expertise:
    • Ability to handle large data - New generation post layout tools requires efficient handling of huge layout data. SoftJin has expertise in techniques for handling huge layout data and performing hierarchical and parallel processing on such data.
    • Fast Computational Geometry Algorithms - We have developed fast computational geometry algorithms for performing Boolean and Geometrical Operations on the layout data.

    Based upon the above capabilities, SoftJin can develop customized Post Layout tools for specific requirements of Foundries and Mask Shops. These could include Mask Data Preparation, Mask Rule Checking, Critical Area Analysis, Optical Proximity Correction/Phase Shift Mask and other DFM/DFY tools.
    Learn more about a customer engagement in this domain wherein we developed a customized Mask Data Preparation tool.

    Inspection & Verification: SoftJin has the capability to develop key software components of die-to-database inspection and other tools involved in Mask and Wafer Inspection. We can also develop Mask Rule Checkers that are specific to your process.

    Translators: As an EDA software development services company, SoftJin has expertise in a wide array of layout data formats such as GDSII, OASIS and E-Beam formats like MEBES, JEOL, VSB-11/12 and OASIS.MASK. We can develop translators and post-processors on any of these formats to meet downstream format requirements.

    Mask Flow Automation Software: SoftJin has the expertise to develop customized Tapeout and mask flow automation software. This includes developing Automatic Reticle frame Floorplanners, Automation of tapeout paperwork and automatic generation of SEMI P/10 compliant order data.
Design Technology Services:
    Process Design Kit Development - SoftJin's Design Technology services team partners with Foundries and helps them in their PDK Development, Enhancement and Maintenance activities. Some of the specific activities that we can support include Parameterized Cell (P-Cell) Development and Support for Schematic Design related PDK components. We have worked across full Pcell Development cycle including requirement gathering from designers, Pcell Development based on Cadence SKILL language and Full Verification flow on the developed Pcells including DRC and LVS tools.

    Reference Flow development- SoftJin's Design Technology services team can help foundries develop, qualify and test Reference flows. As a services company, we are EDA vendor neutral and can be an unbiased partner for the Reference flow teams at Foundries in developing Reference Flows. Our Design Technology Services team has expertise in working with commercial EDA tools as well as skills like scripting which are essential for developing tool flows.

    Cell characterization and library Development- SoftJin's Design technology team has previous experience in developing cell characterization tools. Key capabilities of our team in this area include Cell characterization tool flow development and enhancement around existing SPICE simulators.
Benefits
As an independent software development services company, SoftJin can work closely with Foundries and mask shops to develop proprietary tools and flows that could be of competitive advantage to you. SoftJin has rich expertise and extensive experience in this domain, thereby enabling us to provide you with productive and innovative solutions for your EDA requirements.

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