Unique ICs has released a new version of Avocad, its computer-aided design system for Windows, which provides fast design and simulation of analogue-digital circuits represented at the transistor level. Avocad is optimised for very large-scale integrated circuits. Avocad 1.79 combines a design environment with numerous utilities, including a library editor, a model editor etc.

The design environment integrates the following parts: Avocapture for schematic capture; a project manager; Avoprobe, a full functioning postprocessor; the Avosim simulation module; a simulation environment; and other tools.

While several companies have recently released thermoplastic versions of CMP pad conditioners, these new Organic Diamond Disks are made with an innovative thermally stable, stiff epoxy.

By using an epoxy base with partly metal-coated diamonds, the disks are lighter, and a wider range of abrasive particle types can be used.

nondiamond materials such as CBN are also possible with this design.

Because no metal is exposed to the surface, the disks are ideal for harsh extreme pH slurries, and a wider range of operating temperatures.

‘We are finding that when we speak with customers, our pricing is 20%, 30% or less than conventional electroplated disks out in the marketplace’.

‘Our disks also have the benefit of fixed placement grid-pattern diamonds, as well as optional oriented tips, to give predictable control over performance’.

‘They also have longer lifetimes, lower defectivity and superior uniformity results’.

‘Qualifying these disks is an easy decision for thin film and process engineers as well as fab managers’, stated ADS’ Product Manager.

The Organic Diamond Disk product line is an ideal complement to another newly release line of disks, Advanced Diamond Disk (ADD), which are environmentally friendly and made with pure polycrystalline diamond.

Organic Diamond Disks are now in full production, and are available for purchase at any volume requirement.

Magma Design Automation India has successfully partnered Anna University, one of India’s leading educational institutions, as part of its initiative to increase the number of professionals exposed to state of the art IC implementation tools. The partnership has since yielded spectacular results with students in the ECE Department of the College of Engineering led by Dr PV Ramakrishna having successfully taped out a general-purpose CDMA receiver IC.

‘Personally for me, this partnership is extra special given that I am an alumnus of this esteemed institution’.

Commented Prof N Gunasekaran, Head of the ECE Department CEG Campus’, We would like to thank Magma Design Automation for not only providing us the tools but actively supporting us and training our students in the usage of its tools’.

‘The success in such a short timeframe has greatly enthused us and we plan to expand our VLSI course offerings using Magma as the IC implementation vehicle’.

Magma’s IC Excellence initiative aims at training current designers on cutting-edge technology to meet the high productivity demands of the current market.

It enables them to focus on product innovation by automating the implementation and embedding latest technology in the engineering curriculum to imbibe IC design strength, thus bridging the academia-industry gap.

Under the programme, Magma India closely works with VLSI heads of top-tier engineering institutions providing training material, applications engineering support besides donating licences.

The initiative encompasses: donation of Magma’s IC design software to leading engineering Institutions in India, launch of a IC physical design PG diploma course with leading VLSI training institutions in India, collaborating with leading corporations in the segment, and working with the Government of Karnataka and the Department of IT, Government of India to achieve these shared objectives.

IFS Pro is a software package specifically developed for design engineers with high speed analogue simulation requirements involved in PCB, cable, connector, VLSI, and related interconnect media design. As datarates escalate beyond 1Gbit/s, the microwave frequency domain characteristics of the interconnect system become increasingly important.

The traditional microwave frequency dependent ‘port’ measurements are scattering or S parameters, impedance or Z parameters, and transmission or T and ABCD parameters.

IFS Pro simulates all these parameters quickly and accurately prior to prototyping.

IFS Pro uses novel technology for modelling high-speed frequency-dependent losses in transmission line systems through the use of a unique lossy Spice network model generator and simulator.

This makes Interactive Products the first signal integrity tool company to produce a generic Spice model that can be run in any Spice platform that accurately models frequency-dependent losses (traditional frequency-dependent models account for a single frequency only).

This adds to the existing boundary element platform, which automatically generates an extensive electromagnetic report for any arbitrary geometry and augments the various Spice models created.

IFS Pro produces numerous Spice models ranging from lossless/lossy ladder to lossless/lossy modal, for both time domain and frequency domain analysis.

Time-domain plots include: voltage (including Vin,Vout, and crosstalk); and impedance probes (including single-ended and differential).

Frequency-domain plots include S-parameter, VSWR and eye pattern.

Photon Power Technology has announced the Ipos series of DC magnetron power supplies for sputtering applications. Intended for use in industrial vacuum plasma processing, the Ipos series utilises a superior arc suppression technology of typically less that two microseconds for better quality productivity in ‘hard-coat’ glass/optical coatings.

Arc energy can be adjusted using the onboard 32bit digital control guaranteeing high accuracy and repeatability and remote control is via the RS232/RS485 interface options.

The Ipos range is available in power levels up to 20kW with various output characteristics dependent upon the wave type required for the magnetron.

All have protection against over voltage, short and open circuit conditions.

The Ipos series are suitable for single and dual magnetron sputtering systems and will also provide DC biasing power.

One of the latest techniques that the Ipos range are being used for is in VLSI, where the deposition of a copper film into deep hole and trenches is providing designed with improved flexibility.

Markow has responsibility for corporate communications activities including national and international public relations, employee communications, government relations and community relations.

“I am very excited about Alan joining our senior management team at VLSI,” said Beyer. “He brings over 25 years of corporate experience to VLSI, and a commitment to excellent communications both inside and outside the company.”

Prior to joining VLSI, Markow was the vice president of corporate communications and public relations for National Semiconductor. Previously, Markow was the director of corporate communications at Praxair, a former subsidiary of Union Carbide involved in the development and production of industrial gases, and was assistant vice president of communications with GTE Telephone Operations.

Markow holds a BA in Journalism from the University of Richmond, Virginia and a Masters degree in Media from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a member of the Arthur Page Society and the PR Seminar and serves on the Board of Directors of the Tech Museum of Innovation based in San Jose, California.

About VLSI Technology, Inc.

VLSI Technology, Inc. designs and manufactures System-Level Silicon solutions based on its FSB functional system blocks library. Targeting its offerings toward the communications, consumer digital entertainment, and computing markets, the company offers its customers advanced system-level integration capabilities.

The conversion will result in reduced production costs and the ability to quickly add additional capacity as needed.

“The recent announcement of VLSI’s new leadership VSC11 0.15-micron process technology, coupled with today’s announcement of our 8-inch conversion, will allow VLSI to maintain technology leadership and to meet customer demands,” said Alfred J. Stein, VLSI chairman and CEO.

The conversion of the San Antonio fab to process eight-inch wafers will have the effect of doubling the potential production of ICs from this facility with no increase in headcount or floor space requirements.

An eight-inch wafer accommodates nearly twice the silicon dice than a six-inch wafer. To illustrate this, a six-inch wafer can carry 134 one-centimeter square dice while an eight-inch wafer can hold 252 dice. The upgrade program for San Antonio will start immediately with qualification planned for the third quarter of 1999 and full production expected in the first quarter of 2000.

About VLSI Technology

VLSI Technology, Inc. designs and manufactures custom and semicustom integrated circuits for leading firms in the wireless communications, networking, consumer digital entertainment and computing markets.

VLSI’s value proposition is based on full-service customer support, deep libraries of vertical market-focused IC intellectual property, unparalleled custom circuit design expertise enabled through the Velocity(TM) Rapid Silicon Prototyping design style, and one of the world’s most flexible and efficient custom circuit manufacturing facilities in San Antonio.

VLSI Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VLSI) has signed an agreement to invest in a new, state-of-the-art, deep submicron semiconductor manufacturing plant with Wafer Technology (Malaysia) Sendiran Berhad (WTM), a consortium of Malaysian and foreign investors organized under the sponsorship of Malaysian government agencies. In addition, as part of the agreement, WTM will take ownership, manage and upgrade VLSI’s current San Jose fabrication facility, operating it as a semiconductor process development and prototyping line. This will provide WTM with an immediate base of operations in the Silicon Valley. The fab will employ about 65 staff. VLSI will act as WTM’s technology advisor on both the San Jose and Malaysia manufacturing lines.

“Our agreement with WTM provides multiple benefits for VLSI and WTM, as well as our respective customers, employees, and the communities in which we operate,” said Al Stein, VLSI chairman and CEO. “The new fab in Malaysia will give us vastly expanded capacity to meet the needs of customers who require high-volume production for their customized integrated circuits. WTM’s new investment in the San Jose fab will help both companies perform leading-edge research and development in Silicon Valley, where many of the world’s leading semiconductor experts are located.”

“The cooperation between WTM and VLSI in the San Jose fab is significant for WTM because it will allow Malaysia to enter the sophisticated arena of semiconductor wafer fabrication,” said Mr. Saleh Ghazali, Chairman of WTM. “This will be a natural expansion from the country’s current position as a leading supplier of IC assembly and test services to the worldwide semiconductor industry.”

Cy Hannon, WTM President and CEO added, “The WTM project has all the key ingredients for success: a government infrastructure support program, combined private and public funding, and a leading-edge technology partner in VLSI. This combination will ensure a fast ramp to world-class production level of 27,000 wafers per month and provide access to proven 0.25-micron and smaller feature-size processes. The San Jose plant adds a leading-edge pilot line for training, process development and customer qualification that will keep our company and our people ahead of the technology curve, and provide a Silicon Valley connection that will broaden our customer base.”

Malaysia Fab Program

Under terms of the agreement, VLSI will invest USD $120 million for an equity interest in the new, deep submicron fab to be constructed in the new Kulim High-Tech Park, located approximately 25 kilometers east of the island of Penang, in the state of Kheda. Total capital expenditures for the new WTM facility are estimated at $1.2 billion, at current prices for land, construction, equipment and other expenses. VLSI will serve as the advanced technology advisor for the project. The new fab will incorporate the latest integrated circuit manufacturing technologies, including 0.25-micron and future generation process geometries on eight inch (200mm) silicon wafers and is expected to begin operations in the year 2000. When completed, the fab will have the capability to process approximately 27,000 wafers per month. VLSI will have rights to a significant percentage of the wafer production of the new fab.

Investment partners in the WTM fab project include Bank Industri Malaysia Berhad (the Industrial Bank of Malaysia) and Khazana Nasional Berhad (National Treasury Investment Arm of Malaysia). Both organizations are Malaysian government fully-owned agencies chartered with the development of the country’s industrial sector, particularly high-tech industries, in accordance with Malaysia’s year 2020 Vision.

The new fab in Malaysia will supplement VLSI’s manufacturing operations at its main existing deep submicron fab in San Antonio. This wholly-owned VLSI fab is currently converting from six inch to eight inch wafers and qualifying 0.25-micron technology.

Transfer of VLSI San Jose Fab Assets

WTM will manage and upgrade the fabrication facility located at the VLSI headquarters campus in San Jose. The fab is scheduled to cease production later this month following completion of final orders for 1.5-micron, 1.0-micron and 0.8-micron products made at this facility. VLSI will retain ownership of the land and buildings housing the fab and will locate some VLSI-owned equipment in the facility. WTM will purchase some of the existing equipment, which is convertible to eight inch, and install new eight inch, deep submicron equipment in the facility. WTM will operate the fab as a development and prototyping line for advanced integrated circuit process technologies and as a contract fab serving the Silicon Valley customer base. VLSI’s Technology Development organization also will use the facility as a development and prototyping line for future advanced semiconductor technologies developed by VLSI, such as .15-micron manufacturing processes.

Developed by VLSI’s Communications Product Group headquartered in Sophia-Antipolis, the ready-to-use, type-approved software can dramatically accelerate the market introduction of low-cost, high-featured DECT products.

Running on VLSI Technology’s Vega(TM) DECT processor, the GAP software implements all the functions needed in a DECT terminal. A version of the software for base stations will shortly begin tests. VLSI will provide the new GAP software in full source or object form to customers developing systems around the Vega, VMax(TM), and Vega+(TM) devices or around ASICs based on these platforms.

DECT equipment based on Vega-family silicon is already in the marketplace, and new products, some using VLSI’s GAP software, are expected to be introduced in the coming months.

Providing System-on-a Chip Solution(TM)

“We’re delighted by this first-time success,” said Patrick Edmond, Cordless marketing manager. “VLSI is already established as a leading supplier of DECT baseband technology, and this ready-to-use software offering further reinforces our strength as a provider of system-on-a-chip solutions.”

Edmond added that VLSI’s DECT market success is underlined by a series of recent design wins Group delivers decisive advantages for customers in the cellular market with the GSM OneC(TM) and CDMA+(TM) single-chip baseband solutions, and in the cordless market with VLSI’s Vega family of DECT solutions (Vega, VMax and Vega+), as

platform solution for all major wireless standards as well as future third-generation standards.

Note to Editors: Vega+, Vega, Vmax, Velocity, Standard Communication Platform, OneC, CDMA+, HDLi, System Level Silicon, FSB and Functional System Block are trademarks or registered trademarks of VLSI Technology, Inc. All other names and marks are the property of their respective holders.

Nordic VLSI ASA and Symmetry Electronics Corp., an emerging electronics company that provides value-added distribution of technology products, solutions and services to industrial and commercial markets, today announced their strategic distribution partnership.

Nordic VLSI has entered into an exclusive agreement with Symmetry Electronics making them the first North American company to distribute Nordic VLSI’s leading RF components for ISM/LPRD bands in the United States and Mexico.

Nordic VLSI ASA is a semiconductor company specializing in design solutions at the microchip level in the area of wireless communication. The company is a world leader in high-speed data converters and short-range radio communication. This strategic partnership with Symmetry Electronics, recently recognized as one of the nation’s top 50 distributors, will allow Nordic VLSI to expand its presence in North America and Mexico.

“Having worked in this industry for more than 20 years, I believe this is the first time I have seen a model for distribution success so clearly expressed,” said Svenn-Tore Larsen, CEO for Nordic VLSI. “After evaluating several potential companies, Symmetry Electronics emerged as the perfect partner for us with its value-added approach to distribution. Teaming up with Symmetry enforces Nordic VLSI’s strong commitment to Independent Sales Organizations.”

The partnership with Symmetry completes Nordic VLSI’s worldwide network of sales partners and distributors, offering the opportunity to realize solid growth in the North American market. The partnership will deliver a strong portfolio of solutions, such as the recent releases of the nRF903 (902-928MHz), and the nRF2401 (2.4GHz) which show promise to meet the needs of the North American markets.

“When Symmetry wanted an RF line from a company that was dedicated in this area and one that we could rely on for continuous development and world leading components, I investigated various RF components suppliers. It became clear that no company could compete with Nordic in terms of their technology and support,” said J. Darren O’Donnell, director of marketing & operations for Symmetry Electronics. “With our strong tradition in technical sales and an account development culture that enhances our product lines, Symmetry Electronics has the focus and business practices in place to partner with world class leaders such as Nordic VLSI.”

Symmetry Electronics is one of the industry’s fastest growing supplier authorized distribution companies. It combines classic distribution disciplines with progressive business solutions and technologies to leverage the desired results for its valued suppliers and customers. Symmetry’s product portfolio is designed to provide its customers with leading edge technology devices along with complementary commodity products and is supported by a host of value-added and customized services.

About Symmetry Electronics

Founded in 1998, Symmetry Electronics is an emerging electronics company that provides value-added distribution of technology products, solutions and services to industrial and commercial markets. The company’s offering includes electronic components, electronic manufacturing, display products and integration services.

The company’s products are available at any level of integration, from components to subsystem assemblies and fully-integrated, tested and certified system solutions. Symmetry Electronics is ISO9002 certified and authorized to sell more than 35 lines of semiconductors, passive products, electromechanical components and display products.

About Nordic VLSI ASA

Nordic VLSI is one of the leading European independent IC design houses developing, producing and delivering state-of-the-art integrated circuits for customers worldwide. The company was founded in 1983, has shown a strong growth and has now locations in Trondheim and Oslo in Norway. The company has special focus on components for wireless communication, mixed signal and complex digital and analogue integrated circuit design. Nordic VLSI is well positioned in the following market segments: RF, data and telecom, industrial, medical, automotive and consumer electronics. The company develops, markets and sells standard off the shelf integrated circuits, as well as integrated circuits based on customers specifications (ASICs).