Legend's MSIM supports BSIM4.3.0 model for nanometer designs

SANTA CLARA, Calif., -- February 12, 2004 - Legend Design Technology, Inc. today announced the MSIM circuit simulator provides full modeling support of BSIM4.3.0 for nanometer process technology. MSIM is a high-accuracy circuit simulator with post-layout RC reduction capability.

Legend's MSIM with new BSIM4.3.0 model has been successfully used for simulating state-of-the-art 90 nm CMOS memory designs by major foundry customers. It has been observed that the MSIM simulation results show there is approximately a 3 % difference when considering stress effects (SA, SB) while measuring rise and fall times.

For BSIM4.3.0 support, MSIM has been built to handle the additional electrical mechanisms, model parameters and equations associated with the new model. This includes:

1. A new scalable stress effect model for process induced stress - where device performance becomes a function of the active area geometry and the location of the device in the active area.
2. A unified current-saturation model that includes all mechanisms of current saturation, velocity saturation, velocity overshoot and source end velocity limit.
3. A new temperature model format that allows convenient prediction of temperature effects on saturation velocity, mobility, and S/D resistances.
4. Enhanced accuracy and flexibility of holistic thermal noise model.
5. Improved accuracy of forward body bias model, and
6. Extension of gate direct tunneling model to multiple-layer gate dielectrics.

"Device modeling in circuit simulators is essential for silicon success of deep-submicron and nanometer SOC designs. Based upon our clients' needs, Legend has successfully implemented the BSIM4.3.0 model in MSIM to offer an accurate and reliable simulation solution." said Dr. You-Pang Wei, president and chief executive officer of Legend Design Technology. "We are fully committed to provide robust circuit simulators that support the sophisticated and updated models associated with nanometer SOC designs."

About Legend Design Technology, Inc.
Legend Design Technology, Inc. is a leading provider of characterization and simulation software for semiconductor Intellectual Property (IP) in SoC designs. With an emphasis on productivity and value, Legend's CharFlo-Memory! tool set which includes MSL, SpiceCut and MemChar, revolutionizes the time consuming and error prone processes associated with characterization. SpiceCut can automatically build critical-path circuits to reduce simulation time for characterization, especially from post-layout extracted circuits with resistors and capacitors. MemChar can automatically characterize the memories and generate the 'true' timing and power models. MSL can automate memory characterization with customized setup of '.Lib-in and .Lib out'.

MSIM is a high-accuracy circuit simulator with post-layout RC reduction capability. With high accuracy, high speed and licensing models, MSIM can provide excellent price-performance. Turbo-MSIM is a high-speed and high-capacity circuit simulator. With scalable speed, capacity and accuracy, Turbo-MSIM is ideal for timing and power simulation, function verification and circuit analysis for SoC designs under deep-submicron and nanometer technology.

For more information, visit http://www.LegendDesign.com