Designing a 3nm chip is a highly complex technical task that involves multiple stages from conceptual design to final manufacturing. EDA software plays a crucial role in this process. Below are the typical categories of EDA tools required for designing a 3nm chip and their representative software:
Digital Chip Design Tools
Logic Synthesis: Converts high-level language descriptions (such as Verilog, VHDL) into gate-level netlists.
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DC (Design Compiler): Converts high-level language descriptions (such as Verilog, VHDL) into gate-level netlists, supporting high performance and low power designs.
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Genus (Genus Synthesis Solution): Cadence’s logic synthesis tool that provides efficient design optimization and fast convergence.
Static Timing Analysis (STA): Used to verify whether the design meets timing requirements.
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PT (PrimeTime): Used to verify whether the design meets timing requirements, supporting timing analysis for large-scale integrated circuits.
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Tempus (Tempus Timing Signoff Solution): Cadence’s timing signoff tool that provides fast and accurate timing analysis.
Physical Implementation (Layout and Routing):
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IC Compiler II: Synopsys’s physical implementation tool that supports high performance, low power designs suited for complex SoCs.
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Innovus (Innovus Implementation System): Cadence’s physical implementation tool that provides a complete solution from layout to routing.
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Calibre (Calibre nmPlatform): Mentor Graphics’s physical verification platform that supports DRC (Design Rule Check) and LVS (Layout vs. Schematic).
Formal Verification: Ensures the functional correctness of the design.
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Formality: Synopsys’s formal verification tool for equivalence checking, ensuring the functional correctness of the design.
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Conformal: Cadence’s formal verification solution that supports complex equivalence checking and functional verification.
Power Analysis and Optimization:
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PrimePower: Synopsys’s power analysis tool that helps designers optimize chip power performance.
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PowerPro: Cadence’s power analysis tool that provides detailed power assessment and optimization recommendations.
Functional Verification: Ensures the functional correctness of the design.
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VCS (VCS Simulator): Synopsys’s functional verification tool that supports SystemVerilog, UVM, and other verification languages, suitable for fast simulation of large-scale SoC designs.
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Xcelium: Cadence’s functional verification solution that provides high-performance simulation and verification capabilities, supporting large-scale SoC designs.
Hardware Accelerated Simulation:
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ZeBu (ZeBu Server): Synopsys’s hardware accelerated simulation platform that supports early architecture exploration and functional verification, significantly speeding up verification.
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Palladium Z2: Cadence’s hardware accelerated simulation tool that provides fast verification and debugging capabilities, suitable for large-scale SoC designs.
Design Rule Check (DRC) and Layout vs. Schematic Check (LVS):
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Calibre: Mentor Graphics’s physical verification tool widely used in 3nm and more advanced process nodes to ensure layout compliance with manufacturing process requirements.
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IC Validator: Synopsys’s physical verification tool that supports complex DRC and LVS checks to ensure design manufacturability.
Parasitic Parameter Extraction (PEX):
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StarRC: Synopsys’s parasitic parameter extraction tool used to extract parasitic resistances and capacitances, ensuring timing and signal integrity.
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Quantus QRC: Cadence’s parasitic parameter extraction tool that provides detailed extraction and analysis of parasitic parameters, supporting large-scale SoC designs.
Analog Chip Design Tools
Circuit Simulation: Used for simulating the design and verification of circuits.
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Virtuoso: Cadence’s analog design platform that dominates the analog design market, supporting the complete design flow from schematic to layout.
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HSPICE: Synopsys’s high-precision SPICE simulator suitable for complex analog and mixed-signal designs.
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Aegis (Silvaco Aegis): A simulation tool supporting RF and mixed-signal designs, providing efficient circuit simulation and analysis.
Layout Design:
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Virtuoso Layout Suite: Seamlessly integrated with Virtuoso simulation tools, supporting the complete design flow from schematic to layout, suitable for analog and mixed-signal designs.
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Calibre DRC/LVS: Mentor Graphics’s physical verification tool that ensures layout compliance with manufacturing process requirements, supporting DRC and LVS checks.
RF Design Tools
Electromagnetic Simulation: Used for the design and verification of high-frequency and RF circuits.
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HFSS (Ansys HFSS): The industry’s leading 3D electromagnetic field simulation tool widely used in antennas, microwave devices, etc., supporting high-frequency and RF circuit design.
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AWR Microwave Office: A simulation tool specifically for RF and microwave design, providing efficient circuit simulation and electromagnetic field analysis.
Reliability Analysis Tools
Thermal Analysis: Ensures the chip does not overheat during operation.
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Icepak (Ansys Icepak): A simulation tool for thermal management and heat dissipation design, helping designers optimize chip thermal performance.
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RedHawk: Synopsys’s power integrity analysis and thermal analysis tool that ensures the chip does not overheat during operation.
EM/IR Drop Analysis:
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PrimeECO: Synopsys’s EM/IR drop analysis tool that ensures chip reliability and performance, preventing electromigration and voltage drop issues.
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Voltus-Fi: Cadence’s EM/IR drop analysis tool that provides detailed analysis and optimization recommendations, ensuring chip reliability and performance.
Custom Design Tools
Custom Design Platform: Used for chip designs for specific applications, such as AI accelerators, cryptographic processors, etc.
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Custom Compiler: Synopsys’s custom design tool that supports the complete design flow from schematic to layout, suitable for high-performance and low-power designs.
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Virtuoso Custom Designer: Cadence’s custom design platform that supports the complete design flow from schematic to layout, suitable for analog and mixed-signal designs.
System-Level Design Tools
System-Level Modeling and Simulation: Used for early architecture exploration and performance evaluation.
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Platform Architect: Synopsys’s system-level modeling tool that supports early architecture exploration and performance evaluation, helping designers optimize system architecture.
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Tensilica Xtensa: Cadence’s embedded processor generation tool that supports customized embedded processor designs, suitable for AI accelerators, DSPs, etc.
Progress of Domestic EDA Tools
Although the leading global 3nm EDA tools are primarily dominated by foreign companies, domestic EDA tools in China are gradually developing, especially achieving breakthroughs in certain niche areas. For example:
1. Lixun Software: Provides layout and routing tools such as LePlan and LePlace, supporting large-scale high-performance chip designs.
2. Hongxin Micro-Nano: Developed the Aguda layout and routing tool, based on GDSII format, supporting designs for 3nm and more advanced process nodes, providing a complete physical design solution.
3. Xinhang Ji: Launched the AmazeFP layout planning tool, combining machine learning technology to optimize chip design performance, power consumption, and area, suitable for high-performance SoC designs.
Challenges Faced
Due to the U.S. export controls on EDA software for advanced process nodes such as GAA (Gate-All-Around) transistors, Chinese companies face certain restrictions in obtaining EDA tools for 3nm and more advanced processes. Therefore, the R&D of domestic EDA tools and self-control has become a key direction for industry development.
Conclusion
Designing a 3nm chip requires a series of highly specialized EDA tools covering multiple aspects from logic synthesis, physical implementation, verification to physical verification. Although the leading global 3nm EDA tools are primarily provided by foreign companies such as Synopsys, Cadence, and Siemens Mentor Graphics, China’s self-sufficiency in this field is gradually strengthening as domestic EDA tools continue to develop.
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