Mentor Graphics Corporation this week announced its new Xpedition Package Integrator flow, the industry’s broadest solution for integrated circuit (IC), package, and printed circuit board (PCB) co-design and optimization. The Package Integrator solution automates planning, assembly and optimization of today’s complex multi-die packages. It incorporates a unique virtual die model concept for true IC-to-package co-optimization. In support of early marketing-level studies for a proposed new device, users can now plan, assemble and optimize complex systems with minimal source data. The new Package Integrator flow allows design teams to realize faster and more efficient physical path finding and seamless tool integration for rapid prototyping, right to the production flow.

This solution ensures that ICs, packages and PCBs are optimized with each other to reduce package substrate and PCB costs by efficient layer reduction, optimized interconnect paths, and streamlined/automated control of the design process. The Xpedition Package Integrator product also provides the industry’s first formal flow for ball grid array (BGA) ball-map planning and optimization based on an “intelligent pin” concept, defined by user rules. In addition, a groundbreaking multi-mode connectivity management system (incorporating hardware description language (HDL), spreadsheet and graphical schematic) provides cross-domain pin-mapping and system level cross-domain logical verification.

“Companies are recognizing that it will not be possible to design optimal systems in a timely fashion without the ability to co-design the IC, package, and board,” said E. Jan Vardaman, president and founder, TechSearch International, Inc. “Incorporating key parameters from thermal and electromagnetic modeling will be critical in meeting performance objectives. Automating this process is essential to meet development and product launch schedules in our fast moving market segments. Mentor’s Xpedition Package Integrator tool is a breakthrough in the design process.”

The Xpedition Package Integrator flow leverages other Mentor Graphics tools such as the HyperLynx signal and power integrity product, FloTHERM computational fluid dynamics (CFD) thermal modeling tools, and the Valor NPI substrate fabrication checking tool. To complete the Mentor Graphics co-design solution, Nimbic was acquired in 2014. The Nimbic technology provides Maxwell-accurate, 3D full-wave electromagnetic (EM) high-performance simulation solutions that accurately calculate complex electromagnetic fields for chip-package-board simulation.

“The Xpedition Package Integrator design flow, especially the unique virtual die model, gives package and board design experts really meaningful guidance and tools for their parts of the system design efforts,” said Herb Reiter, president of eda2asic and Director of 3D-IC Programs at Si2. “This flow also allows quick and structured feedback to the IC designers and enables true die-package-board co-design and optimization towards best possible performance versus power ratios for your next system design.”

“Mentor Graphics recognizes the increasing complexity in electrical systems design and manufacturing, particularly for IC, package and board co-design,” stated A.J. Incorvaia, vice president and general manager of Mentor Graphics Systems Design Division. “Our new Xpedition Package Integrator flow will enable systems designers to achieve optimum productivity by saving time and costs while improving the overall quality and performance of advanced systems.”