ON Semiconductor launches process design suite

     ON Semiconductor today announced the availability of a complete front-to-back process design kit (PDK) for the company's High-Q™ Integrated Passive Device (IPD) process. This PDK was developed to work with Agilent Technologies' Advanced Design System (ADS) 2011 Electronic Design Assistance (EDA) software, enabling customers of ON Semiconductor and Agilent Technologies to take full advantage of the industry's most comprehensive radio frequency (RF) and microwave design platform.

     ON Semiconductor's High-Q™ IPD process technology provides a copper on high resistivity silicon platform ideal for the production of passive devices. Such as balanced to unbalanced converters, filters, couplers, diplexers and matching networks for portable, wireless and RF applications. IPD technology is used to manufacture copper inductors, precision capacitors and precision resistors at ON Semiconductor's world-class 200 mm wafer fabrication facility in Gresham, Oregon, USA. IPD provides a cost-effective solution for RF system level packaging. On Semiconductor also offers cost-effective fab roundtrip services for engineering prototype development. In addition, ON Semiconductor offers design services to custom specifications for a variety of applications.

     Rick Whitcomb, senior director of ON Semiconductor's custom Foundry and IPD division, said: "The IPD process is very popular in RF applications, and we see that customers are eager to extend this process to work with Agilent's ADS platform. By providing our customers with a complete ADS design suite that includes cabling and integrated EM support, they can take advantage of Agilent's proven expertise in RF and microwave design."

     The full-featured ADS design suite for routing, simulation and verification supports schema-driven routing generation, routing versus circuit diagram verification, and integrated 3D planar electromagnetic and 3D-FEM simulators.

     Juergen Hartung, EEsof EDA wafer manufacturing Program Manager at Agilent Technologies, said: "ADS and IPD processes are a perfect match, and the combination of ADS and ON Semiconductor's IPD design suite gives mutual customers access to an efficient integrated design platform. ADS not only provides a complete front-to-back application platform for the IPD bare chip itself, but also directly enables the design of a complete RF module containing IPD."