DFM

As process geometries shrink, Design for Manufacturing (DFM) methodologies can play a key role in improving yields. The DFM initiative from the Common Platform technology is at the forefront of the industry, including a suite of design tools, manufacturing data files, models and a growing list of qualified design kits from top EDA and DFM suppliers.

DFM is built into Common Platform technology, IP and reference flows and validated as compatible across all manufacturing facilities. In addition, the alliance leads the industry in DFM value measurement, compiling and releasing data to prove its benefits. In fact, this research by the alliance has already quantified the benefits of DFM at 90nm and 65nm nodes.

Earlier Awareness of Manufacturability

The DFM offering supporting the Common Platform technology alliance is not imposed on foundry customers. Rather, it is used as a powerful opportunity that drives greater manufacturability awareness earlier in the design process, giving designers tighter control and predictability. This underscores a key focus of the Common Platform, which gives customers more choices. The DFM initiative covers design through mask making, with the manufacturers providing tools and services to customers such as:

Recommended design rules with priority rankings and weights
DFM design guidelines that go beyond the design rule manual
Checking decks for cell-level and chip-level manufacturability
Lithography, CMP and Critical Area hot spot analysis
DFM review services

The Common Platform DFM suite includes the following features:

Common Platform DFM (PDF 735KB)

DFM checking decks for rules compliance checking from Mentor Graphics (PDF 202KB)
Critical area analysis identify potential yield-sensitivity hot spots from Ponte (PDF 5.4MB)
Lithography simulation process windows to find hot spots at standard cell, IP and full-chip level using Mentor Graphics' Calibre Litho Friendly Design (LFD) (PDF 410KB)
Chemical-mechanical polish (CMP) modeling of full-chip thickness variation from Cadence Design Systems (PDF 2.6MB)
Full-chip-level shape simulation design-manufacturability check from Cadence (PDF 436KB)

DFM support in place-and-route reference flows is available from Cadence Design Systems, Magma Design Automation and Synopsys.

Tools, models and methodologies will be continuously evaluated and added to the platform DFM offering.

DFM