SEMATECH today announced that Silvaco, Inc., a provider of Technology Computer Aided Design and Electronic Design Automation (EDA) software, has joined SEMATECH to collaboratively develop advanced modeling and simulation tools.

As the microelectronics industry develops emerging and future products, new and improved methods will be necessary to meet the associated manufacturing challenges. Through their collaboration, SEMATECH will use Silvaco’s TCAD and EDA software tools to perform advanced device simulations. Additionally, Silvaco will work with SEMATECH to develop new design, modeling, and simulation methods that will address thermal, mechanical, and reliability issues for next-generation technologies.

“As the industry considers numerous new materials, there is a need to develop new modeling infrastructure for those materials and structures,” said Paul Kirsch, director of SEMATECH’s Front End program. “SEMATECH is pleased to welcome Silvaco as a partner. We will work together to accelerate the investigation and verification of new materials modeling and optimization for silicon, non-silicon and beyond CMOS technologies.”

Silvaco’s TCAD and EDA tools provide research and development capabilities for process and device simulation, circuit simulation and design of analog, mixed-signal and RF integrated circuits. Such methodologies and technologies will be used to address scalability of materials, processes, equipment and subcomponents for next-generation wafers and devices.

“We are excited to join this industry-leading consortium in which Silvaco will provide simulation solutions that address mechanical stress and the reliability challenges for vertical chip integration, as well as meeting the simulation challenges presented by nanometer-scale FinFET devices,” said David Halliday, CEO of Silvaco. “We expect that this partnership will enable Silvaco to provide additional unique solutions to our customers requiring simulation tools for the next generation of wafers and devices.”