Agilent Technologies Announces MMIC Tool Bar Personality for United Monolithic Semiconductors' pHEMT processes

The new MMIC tool bar personality enables the full set of ADS layout editing commands customized for UMS PDKs, including several single-button commands for converting a trace to transmission-line elements, automatic via insertion, invoking a 3-D layout viewer, and launching the ADS desktop design rule checker -- just to name a few. These capabilities improve design efficiency by enhancing the design verification and synchronization between the ADS schematic and layout environment. Along with the industry-proven 3-D planar EM technology, MMIC designers can now enjoy the MMIC design flow ADS provides.

We are excited to provide this add-on PDK to use with Agilent's ADS MMIC design platform, said Eric Leclerc, manager of UMS's foundry business department. This enhanced PDK will largely improve the design experience for both our internal MMIC designers and external customers. Such upgrades will also ensure that ADS users of UMS kits have a complete front-to-back end design flow. We intend to bring this feature to other technologies in the near future.

This add-on PDK further strengthens our collaboration with UMS, one in which we will work to continuously bring value to our common customers through advanced PDK development, said Avery Chung, foundry program manager of Agilent's EEsof EDA division. Our recent investment in PDK development has been well received by our common customers. Furthermore, with ADS 2009, users will be able to extract X-parameter* models of their PDK designs either directly from ADS or through Agilent instrumentation, providing them with an accurate and complete unified behavioral modeling capability and further simplifying the design process.