ANFF Design House
Access the best design software with ANFF’s Design House.
The ANFF Design House is a suite of software packages which will assist with the design and development of your projects. Opening up new scope for device and process design outside of the lab, the ANFF Design House offers ANFF users access to valuable programs and expertise.
Bringing together software from Synopsys, Coventor, TannerEDA and IntelliSuite, it focuses on packages for MEMS, semiconductor processing technologies and devices and 3D visualisation.
ANFF takes a national approach to licensing this software with a number of shared licenses for each package which are able to be shared among users across the country.
Specialised experts in the software packages will be available at different ANFF nodes around Australia. Their details can be found below. They will assist registered users with the implementation of these programs, and will run training sessions.
Keep an eye on the MCN events page for upcoming ANFF Design House training.
Synopsys
Synopsys TCAD comprises a range of products for process and device simulation, as well as simulation management and analysis. TCAD supports a broad range of applications such as CMOS, power, memory, image sensors, solar cells and analogue/RF devices, while it also provides tools for interconnect modelling and parameter extraction, helping to optimise chip performance.
TCAD solves physical partial differential equations such as diffusion and transport equations to model the fabrication process and electrical behaviours of semiconductor devices. This allows predictive accuracy for a broad range of technologies down to nano-scale devices and reduces the need for costly and time-consuming test wafer runs when developing and characterising a new semiconductor device.
During the design stage, TCAD allows engineers to explore product design alternatives even when experimental data is not readily available. During the process integration stage, Synopsys TCAD enables simulation split runs to comprehensively characterise and optimise the process. As the process is introduced into manufacturing, TCAD provides a mechanism for advanced process control during mass production, improving parametric yield.
TCAD Documentation/Resources can be downloaded here.
Contact
Shan Don (Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication)
Email: shan.don@monash.edu
Phone: 03 9905 9916
Coventor
A range of platforms are available through Coventor, namely MEMS+ for Matlab, MEMS+ for Cadence and CoventorWare Turbo.
Coventor MEMS+ removes the need for costly and lengthy build and test cycles, providing a unique MEMS-specific library of high-order, parametric finite elements models. These provide the accuracy and generality of Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and the simulation speed of hand-crafted models.
MEMS+ runs extremely fast compared to conventional FEA and therefore allows designers to simulate their entire MEMS device.
Users can select parametric elements from the library to assemble and simulate their designs. After simulating, they can visualise and animate the simulation results in 3D, while it also allows the investigation of sensitivity to manufacturing variables and of complex effects like cross coupling between mechanical degrees of freedom, quadrature, electrostatic spring softening, thermoelastic noise, levitation, and substrate deformation.
CoventorWare is an integrated suite of FEA based simulation software that has the accuracy, capacity, and speed to address real-world MEMS designs. The suite has many MEMS-specific features for modelling and simulating a wide range of MEMS devices, including inertial sensors (accelerometers and gyros), microphones, resonators, and actuators.
Contact
Shan Don (Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication)
Email: shan.don@monash.edu
Phone: 03 9905 9916
Tanner EDA
A range of platforms are available through Tanner EDA, namely HiPer AMS™ Simulation, L-Edit™ Basic, L-Edit Design, MEMS Basic™, MEMS Pro™, 3D-MEMS & 3D-IC Viewer and UPILib.
These tools for analogue and mixed-signal ICs, ASICs and MEMS designs offer users a seamless and efficient path from design capture through to tape-out.
HiPer Simulation AMS, includes S-Edit for schematic capture, T-Spice for circuit simulation and W-Edit for waveform viewing and analysis
L-Edit is a complete hierarchical physical layout editor combining fast rendering and built-in productivity tools. L-Edit combines industry-leading rendering speed with powerful features to allow drawing and editing to be done quickly, while features such as object snapping, boolean operations, and alignment tools allow for an intuitive user experience.
The MEMS platforms are automated to speed up the design process, while enhanced Boolean operations eliminate manual steps and the ability to write macros in C allows customisable automation.
Tanner EDA offers the only tool on the market developed specifically for both MEMS and 3D-IC design and fabrication in one unified environment. It allows the integration of MEMS devices with analog/mixed-signal processing circuitry on the same IC, providing advanced functionality over standard mechanical design tools.
Contact
Shan Don (Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication)
Email: shan.don@monash.edu
Phone: 03 9905 9916
IntelliSuite
Covering all aspects of the MEMS design cycle, IntelliSuite provides a ground-breaking, end-to-end software solution for MEMS professionals. Some of the key package elements include:
Blueprint - A layout tool made specifically for the MEMS community, Blueprint supports GDS and DXF layout files and includes a built-in DRC tool. It also allows users to optimise their designs with the Quick3D feature and cross-section viewing capabilities.
Fastfield Multiphysics - A fully coupled multiphysics tool for electrostatic, mechanical and thermal analysis, Fastfield works directly with IntelliSuite’s MEMaterial database and the Hexpresso meshing engine. Users can also perform unattended, multiphysics-based parametric analyses.
Cleanroom Process Suite – This suite allows users to either quickly simulate and visualise complex, custom process flows with IntelliFab and FabSim, or select one of the many commercial PDK templates. IntelliEtch enables the rapid simulation of anisotropic etching of silicon or quarts on high-order planes, while the Cleanroom tools use physical solving methods, yielding much more accurate results than traditional voxel-based geometric approximation methods.
SYNPLE – SYNPLE allows users to capture MEMS designs and systems at a schematic level and optimise by performing rapid behavioural analysis. Fast synthesis of mask layouts and 3D meshed models directly from schematics is also possible.
The IntelliSuite software architecture is based on a unique combination of bottom-up, process-driven design and top-down synthesis. Top-down methodology allows users to quickly explore a wide range of design options, while bottom-up design provides the accuracy to produce first-time right silicon. These methods are combined to get you to your designs faster and with fewer process iterations in the clean room.
Contact
Shan Don (Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication)
Email: shan.don@monash.edu
Phone: 03 9905 9916
Resources
RF MEMS Switch Transient Pullin, Contact, LiftOff - Manual and Files
RF MEMS Capacitive Resonator - Manual and Files
RF MEMS Piezo Acoustic Resonator - Manual and Files
Capacitive Pressure Sensor - Manual and Files
Stress Wave Propagation (Anchor Loss) - Manual and Files
Microfluidics Acoustic Pressure Wave Propagation - Manual and Files
Immiscible Liquid Mixing - Files
Droplet in Liquid Mixing - Files
