Agilent Technologies' RFIC Solutions Software Accelerates Design, Verification of ACCO Semiconductor's Next-Generation CMOS Power Amplifier

In today's cellular marketplace, one of the most difficult jobs for an R&D manager is to navigate from product concept to finished product -- a process which, to be successful, typically requires the application of multiple technologies and multiple design flows, said Ron Das, president and CEO of ACCO Semiconductor. The entire design chain must be coordinated or it will break, resulting in a missed deadline or market window, significant cost overruns, and lost business. The streamlined flow provided by Agilent's EDA tools allows us to avoid these hardships and bring our product to market faster.

A streamlined flow is critical to successful product development and key to eliminating the integration risks that can arise late in the development cycle. Agilent's streamlined design and verification flow serves as a focal point for all teams involved in product development -- including semiconductor modeling, system architecture, RF design, and prototype validation. It begins with active and passive modeling, using Agilent's IC-CAP device modeling software and Momentum 3-D planar electromagnetic simulator. The flow then continues into system design using the leading-edge RFIC tools in Agilent's GoldenGate software, along with Agilent's wireless verification libraries. Common waveforms and data processing algorithms are used throughout design and measurement to ensure a coherent and efficient prototype verification process.

Because Agilent is deeply committed to enabling its customers' high-frequency design chain, we are very gratified to see our seamless design and validation flow benefitting ACCO Semiconductor, said Jim McGillivary, vice president with Agilent's EEsof EDA organization. Our expertise in measurement, modeling and simulation, together with our strong on-site support, are essential to ensuring that accuracy is maintained throughout the design chain -- both for ACCO Semiconductor and any other company developing solutions for today's highly competitive cellular industry.