Coventor recently released a new version of SEMulator 3D. We’ve looked at this tool before; it’s what they call a virtual fabrication platform – helpful for simulating semiconductor processes.

Featured in this upgrade is an improvement in the modeling of so-called pattern-dependent etch effects. In other words, how an etch proceeds at one spot depends on what’s around it. And looking farther out apparently makes for a more accurate simulation result, so, with this release, they’ve increased the radius that defines the region or neighborhood to be evaluated when assessing what the local layout looks like.

They’ve also sped up their etch simulation in general.

Meanwhile, they’ve more fully productized a couple of existing features. One is a structure search capability. This allows the user to find a specific structure in all of the various models. This can be particularly useful, for example, when you learn about some particular yield-impacting configuration and want to figure out which models it affects.

The other relates to their Expeditor tool, which is effectively a design-of-experiments assistant. Its older incarnation was as a spreadsheet-and-command-line tool. Which is great for hardcore “GUIs are for weenies” users. But, apparently, weenies want to use it too, so the new release features a full-on GUIfied version.

You can find more details in their recent announcement.