Keysight, Synopsys Collaborate in TSMC’s N6RF Design Reference Flow

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Keysight Technologies, Inc., a leading technology company that delivers advanced design and validation solutions to help accelerate innovation to connect and secure the world, announced that Keysight's PathWave RFPro, integrated with the Synopsys Custom Compiler design environment, is enabled to support TSMC's newest N6RF Design Reference Flow.

EDA tool and design methodology support are critical for integrated circuit (IC) designers. The latest TSMC N6RF Design Reference Flow provides guidance for designers that need to accurately perform circuit design and simulation based on TSMC's advanced N6RF CMOS technology for next generation 5G and wireless applications.

Keysight and Synopsys developed the example custom design in Synopsys Custom Compiler with the capability to perform integrated electromagnetic (EM) analysis and custom radio frequency (RF) device modeling in Keysight PathWave RFPro. Customers can use PathWave RFPro with Custom Compiler as part of an end-to-end workflow that assures EM simulation and circuit layout interoperability.

"With Keysight's PathWave RFPro EM simulation tightly integrated into Synopsys Custom Compiler, customers have a proven solution for fast and accurate design of wireless chips using TSMC's N6RF Design Reference Flow," said Niels Faché, vice president and general manager of Keysight's PathWave Software Solutions. "Integrated EM simulation is needed for verification and optimization of the parasitic effects found in today's multi-technology RF designs. Iterative EM-circuit co-simulation helps designers ensure first-pass success and this interoperability achievement is a testimony to the collaboration between TSMC, Synopsys and Keysight."

Keysight's contribution to the Reference Flow also features detailed application notes, co-authored by Keysight and Synopsys, for efficient implementation by IC designers. The TSMC N6RF Design Reference Flow is released and available, with N6RF technology packages, from TSMC.

"The creation of the Reference Flow is a natural progression that builds on our long collaboration with Keysight to integrate Synopsys Custom Compiler and RFPro," said Aveek Sakar, vice president of engineering at Synopsys. "The new reference flow offers designers a head start in RF design and simulation activities with TSMC's latest and most advanced RF CMOS technology*."

"Our collaboration with Keysight and Synopsys enables customers to implement advanced IC design and simulation flows for our industry-leading RF CMOS technology," said Suk Lee, vice president of Design Infrastructure Management Division at TSMC. "We're pleased with the results of the work that both Keysight and Synopsys performed on this RF Design Reference Flow and looking forward to our continued partnership to help RF IC design customers meet complex requirements and launch their differentiated products quickly to the market."