SAN FRANCISCO—Spice modeling tool vendor ProPlus Design Solutions Inc. announced that chip foundry Shanghai Huali Microelectronics Corp. (HLMC) has adopted its BSIMProPlus Spice modeling platform.
ProPlus (San Jose, Calif.) said
HLMC would use BSIMProPlus and ProPlus's other solutions to establish a complete flow, including data measurement, model parameter extraction/optimization/validation and model re-targeting for HLMC’s advanced technologies at 65-nm and beyond.
HLMC is a pure-play foundry whose investors include Shanghai Alliance Investment Co. Ltd., Shanghai Grace Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp, Shanghai Hua Hong NEC Electronics Co. Ltd. and Shanghai Hua Hong Co. Ltd. HLMC has been targeting advanced technologies, including both 65/55-nm and 45/40-nm, and will offer logic and flash foundry services to fabless companies, IDMs and other system companies, according to the statement released by ProPlus.
"It is critical for HLMC to establish a complete, reliable, unified and efficient Spice modeling extraction and validation flow to introduce advanced process technologies to its customers," said Chris Shao, senior director of technology development at HLMC, in a statement.
Shao said HLMC, as a 300-mm foundry targeting advanced technologies, must provide customers with high-quality Spice circuit simulation models.
"ProPlus has high reputation in products, technologies and customer support, and has made firm commitments to HLMC," Shao said. "We believe the collaboration with ProPlus is crucial for us to quickly set up and improve modeling capabilities for advanced technologies, and greatly enhance our market competitiveness."
Zhihong Liu, the executive chairman of ProPlus, said ProPlus has paid special attention to the cooperation with HLMC, which he called "one of the key projects in China aiming at advanced process technologies."
ProPlus, founded in 1995, claims 18 years of experience providing Spice modeling tools to foundries, IDMs and fabless chip companies. The company has R&D centers in the Silicon Valley, Beijing and Jinan, China, and branch offices in Tokyo, Hsinchu, Taiwan, and Shanghai.