Mentor Graphics Calibre Platform Provides Integrated DFM Flow for TSMC 65nm Technologies

WILSONVILLE, Ore., May, 17, 2006  - Mentor Graphics Corporation (Nasdaq: MENT) today announced that an integrated set of best-in-class tools from the Calibre ® design-to-silicon platform supports TSMC's 65 nanometer (nm) technology. This broad set of Calibre tools set the standard of excellence in terms of extending existing tools and platforms to address the issue of achieving acceptable yield in nanometer technologies.   

The integrated DFM solution provided by the Calibre design-to-silicon platform includes functionality for litho-friendly design (Calibre LFD), critical area and recommended rule analysis (Calibre YieldAnalyzer), automated layout enhancements (Calibre YieldEnhancer), and DFM aware silicon modeling (Calibre xRC).  

More specifically, the Calibre LFD tool addresses the urgent issue of how to manage lithographic process variability in the early stages of design creation. Calibre LFD enables designers to make trade-off decisions on how to create a design that is more robust and less sensitive to the lithographic process window. This is important at the 90nm technology node, and crucial at the 65nm node, where even small process variations can greatly influence silicon results. An LFD kit is provided to the designer much in the same manner as a design rule checking (DRC) kit. The designer can run simulations to see how a layout will perform under a particular lithographic process window. The designer benefits from being able to identify 'hot-spots' during the layout creation stage. The goal is to drive the design to an 'LFD clean' as well as a 'DRC clean' sign-off.  

Calibre YieldAnalyzer offers designers a single robust environment that facilitates the analysis of both critical area and recommended rules in the user's design environment.  These capabilities address the key sources of yield loss: random and systematic. Designers can visualize the results of this model using graphical displays and data-driven tables to easily show them how and where they should spend time to improve yield. This is done in the form of a Calibre DFM deck, giving designers a natural transition from a 'golden' DRC deck to a 'golden' DFM deck.  

"Calibre LFD provides a unique approach to Model Based Verification. This makes a significant difference in determining a layout topology that is optimized across process window conditions," said Ed Wan, Sr. Director Design Services Division, TSMC. "In addition, the single environment for yield analysis found in Calibre YieldAnlyzer is essential for a complete solution. The biggest advantage is that the single environment greatly simplifies the task of evaluating trade offs, and gives designers a way to compare how each decision impacts yield."

Calibre YieldEnhancer improves yield with automated layout enhancements that back annotate to industry standard design databases. Specifically, it provides geometric manipulation to implement layout enhancements such as via doubling and expanding, extending and enlarging of polygons. The goal is to improve yield without increasing area. Calibre YieldEnhancer achieves this goal by leveraging Calibre's core DRC functionality to identify and take advantage of any available white space. The result is a design that is 'DRC clean' with higher yield.

"TSMC's 65nm design EcoSystem represents a distinct approach to providing the support required to manage the analysis and prevention of yield loss in nanometer technology," said Joe Sawicki, vice president and general manager for the design-to-silicon division at Mentor Graphics. "It's exciting to see the rapid progress we've made with TSMC to qualify DFM technologies from Mentor."  

About Mentor Graphics
Mentor Graphics Corporation (Nasdaq:MENT) is a world leader in electronic hardware and software design solutions, providing products, consulting services and award-winning support for the world's most successful electronics and semiconductor companies. Established in 1981, the company reported revenues over the last 12 months of over $700 million and employs approximately 4,000 people worldwide. Corporate headquarters are located at 8005 S.W. Boeckman Road, Wilsonville, Oregon 97070-7777. WorldWide Web site: http://www.mentor.com/.

Mentor Graphics and Calibre are registered trademarks, and Calibre LFD, Calibre YieldAnalyzer, Calibre YieldEnhancer, and Calibre xRC are trademarks of Mentor Graphics Corporation. All other company or product names are the registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective owners.

For more information, please contact:

Carole Thurman
Mentor Graphics
503.685.4716
carole_thurman@mentor.com

Sonia Harrison
Mentor Graphics
503.685.1165
sonia_harrison@mentor.com