Entries by Graham Bell

Victory TCAD Suite: How to use it for fast, efficient, and accurate simulation of power semiconductor devices

Silvaco TCAD has been used by Tier 1 power device manufactures and designers for decades. The introduction of Victory Process, Victory Mesh, and Victory Device significantly increases the functionality and flexibility of the tool set available to designers. In this article we look at how some of the features of this suite of tools improve the efficiency of the design flow.

TCAD Simulations of RF-SOI Switches with Trap-Rich Substrate

The market for cellular components has been shifting rapidly from GaAs pHEMT or silicon-on-sapphire (SOS) to silicon-based technology. CMOS (silicon-on-insulator) SOI antenna switches which are compatible with multimode GSM/EDGE, TD/WCDMA, and LTE systems exhibit higher integration levels and have become the fastest growing mobile phone submarket. CMOS-SOI processes, especially with thin silicon, have the potential to rival the FoM that was traditionally feasible only with GaAs technologies.

IBIS Models in SmartSpice

The Input/Output Buffer Information Specification (IBIS) is a standard for electronic behavioral models based on I/V and V/T curve data. It is being developed by the IBIS Open Forum, which is affiliated with the Electronics Industry Alliance (EIA). These models are suitable for high-speed designs of digital systems to evaluate Signal Integrity issues (deformation of electronic signals, cross-talk, power/ground bounce, transmission lines…) on printed circuit boards (PCBs).