Mar 27 2014
Quantum Semiconductor LLC, an emerging Silicon Valley company developing next generation semiconductor devices which expand what silicon can do with light, and Silvaco, Inc., a leading provider of Technology Computer Aided Design (TCAD) and Electronic Design Automation (EDA) software, announced today a collaboration to develop advanced TCAD models for Si-based superlattices.
The TCAD tools and engineering support provided by Silvaco enabled Quantum Semiconductor to receive follow-on SBIR Phase 1B award funding from the National Science Foundation.
The Quantum Semi technology platform addresses some of the most challenging problems facing CMOS today. Si-Ge-C superlattice films, which have radically improved optoelectronic properties, enable highly efficient light absorption and emission across an extended wavelength range, from UV to MWIR. Through their collaboration, Quantum Semiconductor and Silvaco will incorporate new electronic band structure models of the Si-based superlattices into Silvaco's TCAD tools which will be used to perform advanced device simulations.
"Our vision is to bring new functionality to CMOS by incorporating Si-Ge-C superlattices which allow the efficient absorption and emission of light from UV to Visible to Infrared, enabling new products for image sensing, optical communications, silicon photonics, wide-spectrum photovoltaic cells and even advanced Tunnel MOSFETS," said Carlos Augusto, CTO of Quantum Semiconductor. "Quantum Semiconductor is very pleased to collaborate with Silvaco. To enable the adoption of these new superlattices into CMOS design and manufacturing, new models must be developed to describe their properties. With Silvaco, we can accelerate the investigation and verification of modeling and optimization for Si-Ge-C superlattices combined with CMOS."
Silvaco's TCAD tools already provide unique solutions for researchers working on advanced and innovative technologies and will continue to improve their solutions by collaborating with Quantum Semiconductor LLC. "We are excited to collaborate with Quantum Semiconductor and develop new physical models allowing the use of Si-Ge-C superlattice films in our TCAD flow," said Eric Guichard, VP of the TCAD Division at Silvaco. "We expect that this partnership will enable Silvaco to provide additional unique solutions to our customers working on the next generation of optoelectronic devices which incorporate these novel superlattice materials."
About Silvaco, Inc.
Silvaco, Inc. is a leading provider of TCAD, circuit simulation, and IC CAD software tools. Silvaco's tools are used by fabs for developing semiconductor processes, and design houses for developing analog, mixed-signal, and RF integrated circuits. The company provides a complete PDK-based design flow with interfaces to third-party design platforms. Silvaco has a worldwide presence with local offices in all key industrial regions in the world.
About Quantum Semiconductor LLC
Quantum Semiconductor is a privately-held company based in San Jose, California. The Quantum Semi technology platform combines engineered Si-based superlattices with novel semiconductor device architectures. Si-Ge-C superlattice films, which have radically improved optoelectronic properties, enable highly efficient light absorption and emission across an extended wavelength range, from UV to MWIR. Quantum Semi has received grant funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the National Science Foundation.
Source: http://www.silvaco.com/