The flow has been developed to help customers achieve power and performance optimisations for 5G chips while also accelerating design productivity for faster time-to-market.
"Our latest collaboration with Synopsys addresses the challenges of next-generation wireless systems, enabling designers to deliver greater connectivity, higher bandwidth, lower latency and better coverage for our increasingly connected world," said Suk Lee, vice president of the Design Infrastructure Management Division at TSMC. "With high-quality, tightly integrated solutions from Synopsys as well as Ansys and Keysight, the new TSMC RF Design Reference Flow for the TSMC N6RF process provides a modern, open approach that enhances productivity for developing these complex ICs."
RFICs for wireless data transmission systems are becoming more complex and these next-generation wireless systems are expected to deliver higher bandwidth, lower latency and better coverage across more connected devices. To ensure their RFICs can meet these requirements, designers need to be able to accurately measure parameters such as RF performance, spectrum, wavelength and bandwidth.
The new RF design reference flow improves design turnaround time with improved circuit simulation and layout productivity performance, as well as accurate electromagnetic (EM) modelling and electromigration/IR-drop (EMIR) analysis.
The flow includes the Synopsys Custom Compiler design and layout product, Synopsys PrimeSim circuit simulation product, Synopsys StarRC parasitic extraction signoff product and Synopsys IC Validator physical verification product; Ansys VeloceRF inductive component and transmission line synthesis product, Ansys RaptorX and Ansys RaptorH, the advanced nanometre electromagnetic (EM) analysis products, and Ansys Totem-SC; and Keysight's PathWave RFPro for EM simulation.
"To enable key differentiating advantages for 5G designs, Synopsys continues to deliver robust RF design solutions that integrate electromagnetic synthesis, extraction, design, layout, signoff technologies and simulation workflows," said Aveek Sarkar, vice president of engineering at Synopsys. "Because of our deep collaboration with TSMC and strong relationships with Ansys and Keysight, our customers can now take advantage of the advanced features within the Synopsys Custom Design Family, using TSMC's advanced N6RF technology for 5G applications, to improve productivity and achieve silicon success."
"RF design customers benefit significantly from the interoperability between Synopsys Custom Compiler and PathWave RFPro in the TSMC reference flow," explained Niels Fache, vice president and general manager of PathWave Software Solutions at Keysight Technologies. "Shifting electromagnetic co-simulation left in the design process enables RF circuit designers to optimise for the parasitic effects in advanced chips and multi-technology modules for 5G and WiFi 6/6E applications.”
Commenting Yorgos Koutsoyannopoulos, vice president of research and development at Ansy, said, "Significant complexity driven by the growing need for 5G and 6G designs, along with advanced process effects at nanometre nodes, pose a big challenge to RFIC designers.
“Accurately modelling advanced process effects in EM and EMIR analyses is critical to creating first-pass silicon operating from DC to tens of GHz. Working seamlessly with the Synopsys Custom Complier platform, Ansys tools such as VeloceRF, RaptorX, Exalto and Totem-SC have the highest capacity to handle the most challenging designs as well as the ability to model all advanced process effects. They provide an intuitive and easy-to-use flow for the design, optimisation and verification of RF design blocks."
