Date: 13/04/2011

3X increase in NOR flash IC layout design speed with Laker router, says SpringSoft

SpringSoft, Inc. says more number of memory chip makers are using its Laker Custom Layout Automation System with the Laker Custom Digital Router. The company also revealed that Eon Silicon Solution Inc. ('Eon') joins the growing list of leading memory chip companies that are adopting Laker tools. SpringSoft says Eon has experienced a 3X increase in layout speed with the Laker solutions.

"More large, global chip makers are now relying on Laker to implement memory solutions optimized for power and quality, including chips for mobile and high performance systems," said JT Li, vice president, Physical Design and Technology Product Group, at SpringSoft. "This expansion into the memory chip marketplace is in large part due to Laker's custom digital routing technologies, which provide the specialized automation and focus on design excellence that enables companies to meet aggressive product goals while saving valuable design time."
Laker Adoption by Memory Chip Market

Eon is a fabless semiconductor company offering range of NOR Flash memory for computing, communication, consumer, and industrial markets and applications, including 5V, 3V, 1.8V product lines in Parallel (ISA) and Serial (SPI) Flash from 512Kbit to 512Mbit densities.

"In order to achieve customer satisfaction for our products and services, we are committed to continuous improvement of quality. This includes providing our designers with best-in-class tools and new, more advanced technologies as they become available," said Hsiao-Hua Lu, director of RD at Eon. "Like Eon, SpringSoft is also committed to continuous improvement of its Laker products. As a long-time satisfied user of Laker layout tools for flash memory design, we are especially pleased by the seamless integration and major productivity and ease of use benefits of Laker's new custom digital router."

Among the growing list of companies also using Laker tools for memory chip design are Hynix Semiconductor Inc. and Winbond Electronics Corporation.
Laker Custom Digital Router is a hybrid router with both gridded and shape-based routing technologies tuned for mixed-signal and custom digital designs. This unique combination supports memory-specific routing styles such as backbone and second spine routing for very high completion rates. The custom digital router is fully compatible with Laker layout tools, enabling layout engineers to work within a single, highly automated custom IC environment that addresses the changing nature of memory chip design with smaller physical geometries, increased performance needs, and low-power constraints, says SpringSoft. Engineers can learn more information about using the Laker router for memory chip design by visiting the SpringSoft web site at www.springsoft.com/products/custom-design-and-layout/digital-router.