SMIC Adds Reliability Checks to IP Certification Program Based on Mentor Graphics Calibre PERC Platform

WILSONVILLE, Ore., June 1, 2015 - Mentor Graphics Corp. (NASDAQ: MENT) today announced that Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) will include new circuit reliability checks using the Calibre® PERC™ product in its IP certification program. Reliability verification helps ensure that ICs manufactured by SMIC are free of subtle design flaws that can affect reliability in the field. Calibre PERC joins Calibre nmDRC™, Calibre nmLVS™, and Calibre LFD™, which are mandatory sign-off elements, as a strongly recommended reliability checking element in SMIC’s third party IP certification process. For SMIC ecosystem partners who do not own the Calibre PERC product, Mentor provides a service allowing partners to submit their designs for checking against the SMIC reliability rules.

“ICs designed today have higher reliability requirements than ever before, regardless of the process node they use,”said Dr. Tianshen Tang, senior vice president of SMIC's Design Service Center. “By adding Calibre PERC reliability checks for I/O and power ESD protection, cross power domain charged device models (CDM) and latch-up to our IP certification process, we help ensure that SMIC customers can achieve their target system level reliability requirements. Once the trial-run period successfully ends, SMIC will make Calibre PERC reliability checks a mandatory sign-off element.”

The SMIC reliability checks include ESD circuit and device layout checks, ESD path interconnect reliability checks, checks for ESD protection on analog-digital interfaces, and latch-up checks on guard ring and strap layouts. The Calibre PERC product not only detects violations, but provides designers with a holistic environment for debugging circuit reliability problems. It provides an integrated view of circuit connectivity, topology, physical layout and design rules, which is unavailable in any other tool.

As part of the program, third party IP submitted for certification at SMIC can also be provided to Mentor Graphics, where designated customer application engineers run the SMIC checks using in-house datacenter facilities. Mentor then provides reports indicating pass/fail results, along with pointers to any missing or incorrect protection circuits. 

“SMIC and Mentor have worked together to make the SMIC IP certification program even more comprehensive by leveraging the Calibre PERC platform,” said Joseph Sawicki, vice president and general manager of the Design-to-Silicon division at Mentor Graphics. “As SMIC implements this program across their various process nodes, their customers will save engineering time and effort, while increasing confidence that their ICs will be extremely robust and reliable in the field.”

SMIC and Mentor Graphics will present an overview of the SMIC IP certification program at the SMIC booth (#2803) at the upcoming Design Automation Conference being held at Moscone Center in San Francisco. Specific dates and times for the presentation will be posted on the SMIC web site.

(Mentor Graphics, Mentor, and Calibre are registered trademarks and PERC, nmDRC, nmLVS, and LFD are trademarks of Mentor Graphics Corporation. All other company or product names are the registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective owners.)