Challenges and Opportunities in Global Standardization of Compact Models

DAC 2016

The Si2 Compact Model Coalition (CMC) is a collaborative industry-academia organization for creating standards for SPICE compact models. CMC standards drive innovation across the semiconductor foundry-fabless ecosystem by ensuring that well-vetted compact models and compact model interfaces are consistently implemented in vendor circuit simulators. This panel discusses developing cutting-edge models while simultaneously improving/maintaining legacy models and acting in the presence of a challenging model developer funding climate. Special focus is on models currently in the CMC pipeline including GaN, HEMTs (gallium nitride high-electron mobility transistors) and electrostatic discharge protection devices.

What you will learn

  • Advantages of using industry-wide compact model standards

  • New compact models in development and significant changes to legacy models

  • Challenges and solutions in evolving model language descriptions

  • How the CMC helps individual companies succeed and innovate

  • The status of R&D funding status and its impact on compact model development

Panelists

  • Moderator: John Ellis, President and CEO, Si2

  • Rob Jones, Senior Principal Engineer at Raytheon, Microelectronics Engineering & Technology Group, Raytheon

  • Marek Mierzwinski, Research and Development Engineer, Keysight Technologies

  • Josef Watts, Principal Member of the Technical Staff, GLOBALFOUNDRIES

  • Richard Williams, IBM

  • Peter Lee, Manager, Micron Technology

GaN HEMT SPICE Model Standard for Power and RF

Description:

Si2’s Compact Model Coalition is currently in the third phase of our process to define a standard model for GalliumNitride (GaN) High Electron-Mobility Transistors (HEMTs). These devices are currently used in high power switching and RF applications, where their power and speed sets them apart from most other technologies. We started with eight candidates, which have been down-selected to two remaining candidates, based on a set of technical requirements. In the current phase, member companies are asked to perform their own evaluations hopefully leading to a standard in 2016.

Bio:

Samuel Mertens is working for Cadence Design Systems on the Spectre circuit simulator, after working at Ansoft, Ansys, Agilent and Keysight. He has been an active representative at the CMC since 2004, having chaired the CMC’s Standard Spice Language standard. Samuel graduated with a Physics Engineering (BS) degree from the University of Gent (Belgium) and the MS and PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA).

CMC Q4 2016 Meeting Agenda

AGENDA

Si2 Antitrust Guidelines

The Si2 Antitrust Guidelines are a fundamental part of our operation process. All members must agree to abide by these guidelines. This document is generally built into or referenced by each membership agreement or procedures document.

Geoffrey Coram Named New CMC Technical Advisor

Geoffrey J. Coram of Analog Devices is the new volunteer technical advisor for the Si2 Compact Model Coalition.  In this newly created position he advises the coalition on Verilog-A implementation for its standard compact models.

Over the past decade, the preferred language for development and implementation of compact models has shifted from C to Verilog-A. Recognizing the importance of the new language, the CMC officers created this position to assist model developers and help encourage best practices.

A senior member of the IEEE, Geoffrey has been an active CMC participant since 2002 and currently leads the CMC subcommittees on Verilog-A recommended practices and the MOS varactor model. In 2004, he led the efforts of the Accellera Verilog-AMS subcommittee to add compact modeling extensions to that modeling language in Language Reference Manual version 2.2.

Geoffrey joined the internal CAD development and circuit simulation group at Analog Devices after earning a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2000. His undergraduate degree is from Rice University.