Objective
The MULSIC project aims at the development of an integrated suite of software tools for the simulation of interconnects of ultra-large-scale integrated (ULSI) circuits. As result, modules will be provided for process simulation, electrical and reliability characterization, as well as for interfacing the simulation results of these tools with commercial software for full-chip extraction already available. This will allow investigation of how effects on process level influence electrical and reliability characteristics of interconnects for entire circuits. In consequence, with the software modules developed within MULSIC, it will be possible to optimise circuit design taking into account effects caused by the manufacturing process. This is of essential importance for current and future generations of integrated circuits but not possible with software tools available so far. The route for commercialisation will be prepared.
Objectives:
With shrinking device and interconnect feature sizes and growing complexity of integrated circuits, the relative contribution of the interconnects to overall performance and reliability continuously increases. At present, no integrated program system is available covering the different levels of interconnect simulation, from physical-based process modelling, via accurate electromagnetic and reliability simulation to characterization of entire circuits. Therefore, within MULSIC, a software package will be developed for the simulation of interconnect fabrication processes and electrical and reliability characteristics, as well as for interfacing the newly developed modules to already existing tools for interconnect simulation on circuit level. This will allow optimisation of circuit design taking into account also effects of the manufacturing process.
Work description:
Within MULSIC, an integrated program system will be developed for accurate simulation of interconnects of integrated circuits. To this end, existing software modules will be extended and new ones will be developed for the simulation of the evolution of topographic features during interconnect manufacturing, and of electrical and reliability characteristics of interconnects for small parts of the layout. These modules will be based on high-level physical modelling to allow high predictivity and accuracy.
Furthermore, to allow treatment of interconnects for entire chips, coupling of the newly developed modules to existing tools for full-chip extraction will be established by implementing interface software which:
1. for critical regions of the interconnect system transfers the information from layout and schematic geometry to process, electrical, and reliability simulation to be performed by the newly developed modules and adds information about process data
2. communicates the results of these simulations to tools operating on full-chip level for characterization of the entire circuit, thus allowing exploitation of the accuracy of physical-based simulations for full-chip characterization. In consequence, as result of the project, a software package will be available, which allows interconnect design optimisation taking into account effects due to the manufacturing process.
The work will be directed by industrial specifications from the MULSIC industrial advisory board and from the customers of the software house partner. In order to be able to carry out the work with acceptable resources, background results from commercial vendors, partners within the consortium, and external cooperation partners will be exploited in an optimum way. The developed software modules will be commercialised by the software house partner.
Milestones:
Within the project, three milestones have been defined, each of which is related to a new release of the simulation software, with functionality increasing from a release to the next. Each of these milestones precedes the evaluation of the corresponding software release. For the first and the second release, the outcome of the evaluation will be used to direct further work within the project.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
- engineering and technologymechanical engineeringmanufacturing engineering
- natural sciencesmathematicspure mathematicsgeometry
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencessoftwaresoftware applicationssimulation software
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Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
CSC - Cost-sharing contractsCoordinator
80686 MUENCHEN
Germany