SANTA CLARA, Calif., June 11, 2010 — Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) today announced that China-based Shanghai Hua Hong NEC Electronics Company, Ltd. has successfully used Agilent’s Integrated Circuit Characterization and Analysis Program (IC-CAP) software to develop an RF device modeling platform for 0.35µm and 0.18µm RF semiconductor devices.

Hua Hong NEC developed its customized RF modeling platform using the advanced capabilities available in the IC-CAP software. One such capability, GUI Studio, allowed the company to directly generate well-documented, simplified and intuitive extraction routines that significantly cut time required for a complete modeling process. The resulting RF modeling platform included proprietary de-embedding, RF model extraction techniques, corner simulation setups, and a quality-assurance script. This approach enabled highly accurate modeling of HBTs, inductors, varactors and other 0.35µm and 0.18µm devices, and significantly reduced time-to-market. 

Agilent’s IC-CAP platform is a flexible device-modeling program that delivers powerful characterization and analysis capabilities. The platform is ideal for today’s semiconductor modeling processes for DC and RF applications. IC-CAP provides efficient and accurate extraction of active device and circuit model parameters. The program performs numerous modeling tasks including instrument control, data acquisition, graphical analysis, simulation, and optimization. IC-CAP is used by semiconductor foundries and design houses to characterize foundry processes. 

“The major software/platform technology enhancements implemented in the 2009 release of IC-CAP played a critical role in allowing us to develop a highly efficient, customized RF modeling platform,” said Xiangming Xu, director of modeling for Hua Hong NEC. “The software’s high level of customization, for example, provided us with the most efficient path to accurate model extraction.

Such enhancements will ensure that we are equipped with the powerful and flexible device modeling platform we need to meet our needs for years to come.”

“As the industry standard for DC and RF semiconductor device modeling, IC-CAP provides today’s semiconductor foundries and IDMs with the most advanced, customizable modeling software for measurement, simulation, optimization and statistical analysis of semiconductor devices,” said Todd Cutler, marketing manager with Agilent’s EEsof EDA organization. “We are pleased that this flexible, easily customizable platform has enabled Hua Hong NEC to implement the strategies and techniques necessary to effectively meet its device modeling goals today and in the future.” 

For more information about the IC-CAP software platform, go to www.agilent.com/find/eesof-iccap.

About Agilent EEsof EDA Software 

Agilent EEsof EDA is the leading supplier of electronic design automation software for microwave, RF, high-frequency, high-speed, RF system, electronic system level, circuit, 3-D electromagnetic, physical design and device-modeling applications. More information is available at www.agilent.com/find/eesof.

About Hua Hong NEC Electronics Company, Ltd. 

Shanghai Hua Hong NEC Electronics Company, Limited is the first 8-inch semiconductor manufacturer of Mainland China and has become one of the world’s leading pure-play wafer foundries, providing value-added foundry services to customers worldwide. The Company has two 8-inch foundry production lines in Mainland China. The foundries are in mass production, with the total capacity around 90K wafers per month. Hua Hong NEC, with its headquarters located in Shanghai, China, extends its sales and technical support to Taiwan, Japan, North America and Europe. Based on its solid foundation in 1.0~0.13um processes, Hua Hong NEC’s featured process platforms include embedded NVM, analog/power management, HV, RF and discrete device as well as logic, mixed signal possesses for a wide range of applications such as smart card, communications, consumer electronics, computer and automotive electronics. For more information, please visit www.hhnec.com.

About Agilent Technologies

 Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) is the world’s premier measurement company and a technology leader in communications, electronics, life sciences and chemical analysis. The company’s 19,000 employees serve customers in more than 110 countries. Agilent had net revenues of $4.5 billion in fiscal 2009. Information about Agilent is available on the Web at www.agilent.com.

SAN JOSE, Calif., June 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Altera Corporation (NASDAQ:ALTR) today announced it is shipping in production the highest density member of its 40-nm Stratix® IV FPGA family. Featuring 820K logic elements (LEs), the Stratix IV E EP4SE820 device is ideally suited for a variety of high-end applications that require high-density, high-performance and low-power FPGAs, including ASIC prototyping and emulation, wireless, wireline, military, computer and storage. With this announcement, the rollout of Altera’s high-end 40-nm Stratix IV FPGA family is complete with all devices shipping in volume.

A variant of the Stratix IV FPGA family, Stratix IV E devices provide the unique combination of density and performance leadership along with innovative power-saving features, including Altera’s proprietary Programmable Power Technology. The Stratix IV E FPGA variant is comprised of four devices ranging in density from 230K up to 820K LEs. The resource-rich EP4SE820 device is the industry’s highest density FPGA in production today, delivering up to 820K LEs, 23.1-Mb embedded memory and 960 18×18 multipliers.

Ideally Suited for ASIC Prototyping Environments

Designing a leading-edge ASIC is an expensive and time-consuming operation today, making it imperative that ASIC designers get their design right the first time. The Stratix IV EP4SE820 FPGA gives ASIC-prototyping designers the ability to implement designs up to 15 million ASIC gates on a single FPGA, which helps to simplify board design and accelerate prototyping cycles. To date, several vendors selected the EP4SE820 FPGA for their next-generation ASIC prototyping boards and systems, including The Dini Group, Iris Technologies and S2C. The high-density device is also integrated into GiDEL’s family of FPGA-based high-performance computing (HPC) acceleration boards and ASIC prototyping systems.

“The need for higher density, higher performance and lower power in FPGA designs is a critical factor for customers when selecting the right FPGA,” said Luanne Schirrmeister, senior director of component product marketing at Altera. “By targeting all three of these areas with our Stratix IV E FPGA, we provide our customers with a resource-rich device that enables them to deliver greater product differentiation at a lower cost.”

About the Stratix IV FPGA Family

Stratix IV FPGAs are the industry’s highest density, highest performance and lowest power FPGAs currently shipping in their class. The device family features proven transceiver and memory-interface technology, providing an ideal solution for customers in a variety of end markets. Altera’s high-end FPGAs feature three variants, a non-transceiver enhanced (E) version and two transceiver (GX and GT) versions. The Stratix IV E FPGAs are high in density and rich with embedded memory and DSP resources. Stratix IV GX and Stratix IV GT variants feature integrated transceivers that operate up to 8.5 Gbps and 11.3 Gbps, respectively, providing an unprecedented level of system bandwidth with superior signal integrity. For more information on Stratix IV FPGAs, visit www.altera.com/pr/stratix4.

Availability

The entire Stratix IV FPGA family is shipping now in volume production. Altera provides all the necessary tools for customers to get started on their designs, including software support, reference designs, intellectual property (IP) and development kits. Customers interested in learning more about Altera’s high-end FPGA family should contact their local Altera sales representative or visit www.altera.com/pr/stratix4.

SAN JOSE, Calif., June 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Altera Corporation (NASDAQ:ALTR) today announced it is shipping in production the highest density member of its 40-nm Stratix® IV FPGA family. Featuring 820K logic elements (LEs), the Stratix IV E EP4SE820 device is ideally suited for a variety of high-end applications that require high-density, high-performance and low-power FPGAs, including ASIC prototyping and emulation, wireless, wireline, military, computer and storage. With this announcement, the rollout of Altera’s high-end 40-nm Stratix IV FPGA family is complete with all devices shipping in volume.

A variant of the Stratix IV FPGA family, Stratix IV E devices provide the unique combination of density and performance leadership along with innovative power-saving features, including Altera’s proprietary Programmable Power Technology. The Stratix IV E FPGA variant is comprised of four devices ranging in density from 230K up to 820K LEs. The resource-rich EP4SE820 device is the industry’s highest density FPGA in production today, delivering up to 820K LEs, 23.1-Mb embedded memory and 960 18×18 multipliers.

Ideally Suited for ASIC Prototyping Environments

Designing a leading-edge ASIC is an expensive and time-consuming operation today, making it imperative that ASIC designers get their design right the first time. The Stratix IV EP4SE820 FPGA gives ASIC-prototyping designers the ability to implement designs up to 15 million ASIC gates on a single FPGA, which helps to simplify board design and accelerate prototyping cycles. To date, several vendors selected the EP4SE820 FPGA for their next-generation ASIC prototyping boards and systems, including The Dini Group, Iris Technologies and S2C. The high-density device is also integrated into GiDEL’s family of FPGA-based high-performance computing (HPC) acceleration boards and ASIC prototyping systems.

“The need for higher density, higher performance and lower power in FPGA designs is a critical factor for customers when selecting the right FPGA,” said Luanne Schirrmeister, senior director of component product marketing at Altera. “By targeting all three of these areas with our Stratix IV E FPGA, we provide our customers with a resource-rich device that enables them to deliver greater product differentiation at a lower cost.”

About the Stratix IV FPGA Family

Stratix IV FPGAs are the industry’s highest density, highest performance and lowest power FPGAs currently shipping in their class. The device family features proven transceiver and memory-interface technology, providing an ideal solution for customers in a variety of end markets. Altera’s high-end FPGAs feature three variants, a non-transceiver enhanced (E) version and two transceiver (GX and GT) versions. The Stratix IV E FPGAs are high in density and rich with embedded memory and DSP resources. Stratix IV GX and Stratix IV GT variants feature integrated transceivers that operate up to 8.5 Gbps and 11.3 Gbps, respectively, providing an unprecedented level of system bandwidth with superior signal integrity. For more information on Stratix IV FPGAs, visit www.altera.com/pr/stratix4.

Availability

The entire Stratix IV FPGA family is shipping now in volume production. Altera provides all the necessary tools for customers to get started on their designs, including software support, reference designs, intellectual property (IP) and development kits. Customers interested in learning more about Altera’s high-end FPGA family should contact their local Altera sales representative or visit www.altera.com/pr/stratix4.