MagnaChip Semiconductor has released a new process design kit (PDK) supporting Agilent's RF design environment (RFDE) electronic design automation (EDA) software. The newly designed PDK contains the full frequency range for its 0.18-micron mixed-signal/RF CMOS processes, from DC through baseband and into the RF range. This broad frequency range allows designers to simulate the entire system-on-chip design, ensuring correct operation at all frequencies. At the 0.18-micron node, these frequencies typically range from the audio and video frequencies in the baseband to 5 GHz in the RF/microwave band. In the future, designers are expected to attain frequencies of higher than 10 GHz in the 0.13-micron node.

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This offering extends MagnaChip's existing PDKs, which support 0.18-micron mixed-signal/RF CMOS processes supporting Cadence Design Systems. With the new PDK supporting RFDE, all of MagnaChip's elements available for RF designers are modeled, including varactors, high-Q inductors integrated with Al and Cu, precision resistors, and high-density capacitors.

MagnaChip's support for Agilent's RF/mixed signal simulation environment reflects the strong demand by designers for state-of-the-art design and simulation tools that help speed their products to market, stated MagnaChip.

"RF designers need quality simulation environments in order to validate their efforts after the design is finished," said Channy Lee, executive vice president of products. "By providing quality models for a variety of active and passive elements for RFDE, MagnaChip is able to increase confidence for designers simulating transceivers, mixers, and other critical RF blocks."

"We're very pleased with MagnaChip's decision to support the RF Design Environment for its 0.18-micron mixed-signal/RF CMOS processes," said John Barr, foundry program manager of Agilent's EEsof EDA Division. "This gives our mutual customers access to a comprehensive RFIC design solution that is tightly integrated into the Cadence environment. We know how important it is for our customers to get to market quickly, and we believe that users of this process will save time using this new, integrated design kit together with RFDE."

RFDE-compatible models for MagnaChip's 0.18-micron mixed-signal processes are available from MagnaChip today. Technology files for MagnaChip's advanced 0.13-micron mixed-signal and RF processes are expected to be available in 2005.