Z CIRCUIT AUTOMATION DEBUTS HIGH-THROUGHPUT CELL LIBRARY CHARACTERIZATION SYSTEM

MOUNTAIN VIEW, California April 11, 2005 - Z Circuit Automation, Inc., a leader in library integration technology, today unveiled ZChar, a tool for fast, automatic characterization of digital cell libraries which is essential to the success of an integrated circuit, particularly in the areas of timing closure and power consumption.

"ZChar provides us with very fast turnaround time, "said Jim Thomas, vice president of product development for Spansion LLC. It quickly generated three full corners in a weekend, including 120 flip-flops, for our advanced 90 nanometer Flash memory process.

"The Z Circuit software and training has been instrumental in upgrading our digital design environment to compliment our existing, state-of-the-art analog and Flash memory design capabilities."

Turn-Around Time Critical For Library Teams

As feature sizes shrink to 0.13 microns and below, design teams require more corners and more complex timing and power models. Characterization of a large cell library can contain over a million data points and require thousands of simulation hours, leading to a very slow turnaround time for producing library models.

"Based on our many years of experience with cell library development, we built ZChar to improve library developers’ efficiency through a new generation of technology which makes the library characterization task much simpler, provides fast turnaround time, and monitors output results for correctness" said Edmond Macaluso, President of Z Circuit Automation. Our fast turnaround time, including advanced parallel-processing capabilities, makes it possible to respin a library quickly or build custom corners, critical to accurate timing signoff."

A library will need to be characterized for changes to process models, cell layouts, spice models, voltage thresholds, or if a custom corner at a special voltage is required. Without correctly characterized libraries, the entire design project and millions of dollars in design and fabrication time may be at risk. Designing at the wrong environmental corner or not taking advantage of a special operating voltage, may lead to a slower, larger design that wastes power or takes much longer to close timing. In many cases, a company does not need to build a library from scratch, but instead can reap many benefits by using ZChar to re-characterize the library to the appropriate conditions.

Produce Accurate, Reliable Models

At 90-nanometer geometries and below, speed and power consumption are much more sensitive to environmental conditions including voltage and noise. Therefore, producing accurate models at the appropriate conditions is critical to achieving design success. ZChar quickly generates accurate and complete timing/power models and incorporates unique methods for noise immunity and signal integrity to avoid design problems that otherwise might not be detected until failure analysis.

Z Circuit keeps complex model generation methods up-to-date through customer requirements and tracking technology changes. As an active member of Synopsys’ Tap-in and Cadence Connections programs, Z Circuit works closely with leading EDA companies to incorporate the industry’s latest standard formats, such as Synopsys Liberty.

"Designers are able to develop their chips more quickly and accurately when they access up-to-date, accurate models for their technology in the Liberty format." said Karen Bartleson, director of Interoperability at Synopsys, Inc. Z Circuit's active participation in Synopsys' TAP-in program has enabled them to leverage Liberty, one of the most successful interoperability standards in EDA."

New Digital Modeling System Goes Beyond Characterization

Circuit designers in library teams have the need to optimize cells or the cell architecture, which often requires many iterations of characterization for the most complex cells in the library. ZChar has a parallel-processing burst mode in which a complex cell that would normally take 4 hours to complete, can finish in 30 minutes or less. ZChar even supports generating a specific cell characteristic in minutes. In addition to taking advantage of this fast turn-around time, designers quickly browse simulation results, display waveforms, and verify circuit behavior using ZChar’s unique simulator-independent graphical mode. This results in reducing optimization time from days to hours.

ZChar also provides more than simple characterization of common logic components. ZChar is a digital modeling system, with the capabilities to handle advanced logic circuits such as differential inputs and dynamic logic, critical for meeting requirements of next-generation electronic product design and advanced process technology.

Z Circuit offers additional library development and analysis tools including Library Analyzer, which provides important validation and comparison capabilities for library developers and qualification capabilities for library consumers.

Pricing and Availability

ZChar is now available on Sun OS and Redhat Linux operating systems. Pricing starts at $55,000 for a one-year, time-based license. ZChar creates efficient spice runs with Synopsys HSPICE, Cadence Spectre, Berkeley Spice (BSIM3 and BSIM4 models), and other simulators including most internally developed simulators.

Contacting Z Circuit

To learn more about Z Circuit Automation, please visit out website at www.z-circuit.com or call (650) 559-1714 or email info@z-circuit.com.

Z Circuit will exhibit at the 42nd Design Automation Conference (DAC) Monday, June 13 through Thursday, June 16 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim in Booth #840.

About Z Circuit Automation, Inc.

Z Circuit Automation develops and markets Z Circuit ZChar, library characterization system, and Z Circuit Library Analyzer, a complete analysis tool for comparing libraries and cells within libraries. Z Circuit is self-funded and privately held. For further information on Z Circuit, please visit our website at www.z-circuit.com or call us at (650) 559-1714.

Z Circuit and the Z Circuit logo are trademarks of Z Circuit Automation, Inc. All others are the property of their respective holders.