The Gold Standard for Accurate Parasitic Extraction and Signal Integrity Solutions

Contact: Haris Basit
VP Business Development, OEA International, Inc.
(408) 738-5972

OEA INTERNATIONAL ANNOUNCES FIRST RELEASE OF A RF PASSIVE COMPONENT SYNTHESIS TOOL

Santa Clara, CA - May 12, 2000 - OEA International, Inc. today announced the first release of RF-PASS, a RF passive component synthesis tool.   RF-PASS is designed to assist RF engineers in accurately synthesizing, optimizing and modeling inductors, transformers, capacitors and resistors for RFIC applications.   RF-PASS can also be used in modeling large distributed structures such as bond pads and ESD devices.

Perhaps one of the least studied aspects of designing an RFIC is the design and optimization of the passive components.  Passive components have a great number of parameters that interact with one another in a complex manner.  To accurately model a passive component for RFICs one must, at a minimum, include: skin effects, proximity effects, capacitive and inductive coupling to the substrate, and complex ground return paths.  As these effects must be considered simultaneously, and the tradeoffs are complex it is very difficult to deliver an optimum design.  RF-PASS combines an easy to use interface with the most advanced 3D-field solver technology available to generate highly sophisticated and detailed models for substrate coupling as sell as skin and proximity effects.  RF-PASS is engineered to simply and directly address the most complex issues facing RF passive component designers.

RF-PASS can synthesize a typical structure and output mask ready layout along with S, Y, Z or H Parameters and a lumped or distributed SPICE model in less than one minute.  This allows one to try many hundreds of variations in just a few hours.   The built in optimization engine helps find the design that best matches the requirements; for example, an inductor that maximizes Q for a given value of inductance and at a given frequency.  The generated layout is 'mask ready' in that RF-PASS ensures orthogonal or 45 degree angles where possible, generates arrays of legal size vias, snaps vertices to a user selected grid size, and meets mesh density requirements.

Multiple coupled structures can also be synthesized and analyzed.   A generalized n-port analysis is available for structures with more than 2 ports. Structures that utilize OEA International's patents on high Q inductors and high value capacitors can also be synthesized, optimized and modeled.  After synthesizing structures, RF-PASS allows one to manually add arbitrary structures such as pads, interconnects, substrate shields or substrate ground taps using a layout editor.   Rerunning the analysis after the manual edits allows all of the effects to be included in the model.

With the advent of IC technologies incorporating six or more metalizations many more options have become available to the designer of RF passive components.  Elegant and highly sophisticated passive structures are now practical.   RF-PASS is engineered to maximize utilization of these new IC processes and enable a higher level of RFIC integration.  Getting maximum utility from new IC technologies will make a very significant difference in driving down the cost of wireless technology.

About OEA International, Inc.

OEA International, Inc. is the leader in 3D extraction of interconnects.  OEA tools are currently used in the most demanding extraction and design environments.  These include the detailed analysis and design of high speed clocks, busses, I/O rings and power grids at the world's most advanced design shops.   For additional information, call (408) 738-5972, or visit OEA online at .