Agilent Technologies and Synopsys Announce Industry-First Scan Diagnostics Reference Methodology.PALO ALTO, Calif. & MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- Tools Speed Failure Analysis by Automating Information Sharing between Electronic Design Automation and Automatic Test Equipment Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :A) and Synopsys Inc. (Nasdaq:SNPS SNPS Space Nuclear Power System ) today announced an industry-first scan diagnostics reference methodology. The solution speeds fault localization Customizing software and documentation for a particular country. It includes the translation of menus and messages into the native spoken language as well as changes in the user interface to accommodate different alphabets and culture. See internationalization and l10n. and failure analysis for semiconductor design and test engineers faced with identifying device failures under increased time-to-market pressure. A result of the companies' three-year strategic alliance, the methodology is enabled by the Agilent 93000 SmarTest Program Generator (PG) 2.2 and the Synopsys TetraMAX(R) automatic test pattern generation ATPG (acronym for both Automatic Test Pattern Generation and Automatic Test Pattern Generator) is an electronic design automation method/technology used to find an input (or test) sequence that, when applied to a digital (ATPG ATPG Automatic Test Pattern Generation ATPG Automatic Test Program Generator ) solution, in conjunction with the Agilent 93000 SOC Series test platform. This combination of tools automates the bidirectional information sharing between electronic design automation (EDA (1) (Electronic Design Automation) Using the computer to design, lay out, verify and simulate the performance of electronic circuits on a chip or printed circuit board. ) and automatic test equipment (ATE) required for scan diagnostics. As process geometries shrink and device complexity grows, identifying device failures becomes increasingly difficult. The demand for shorter time to market and lower product cost makes rapid diagnostics and fault localization vital during the first silicon evaluation and production ramp up Ramp Up To increase a company's operations in anticipation of increased demand. Notes: A company might 'ramp up' operations if they just signed a contract creating substantially more demand for their product. See also: Demand, Economies of Scale . EDA companies have begun to offer fault localization tools, but they require failure information from automatic test equipment. Until now, a standardized and supported means for sharing information from ATE has not been available. "Our customers want us to link design and test more closely in order to lower the overall cost of test," said Tom Newsom, vice president and general manager of Agilent's SOC Business Unit. "Our strategic alliance with Synopsys has successfully contributed toward bridging the gap between EDA and ATE." "Automating failure and yield diagnostics is a critical business issue for our customers," said Antun Domic, senior vice president and general manager, Synopsys Implementation Group. "Synopsys' collaboration with Agilent is key to improving manufacturing test flows, and together we are demonstrating further leadership by delivering a diagnostics reference methodology." The Agilent 93000 SmarTest PG 2.2 offers a seamless transition from the EDA environment to the industry-leading capabilities of the Agilent 93000 SOC Series, which speeds test development for functional and scan tests. SmarTest PG 2.2 provides a scan failure map for viewing scan failures on the Agilent 93000 SOC Series in their native scan context, speeding first silicon debug. It features a simplified user interface and command-line operation, and supports industry-standard EDA input formats, including Standard Test Interface Language (STIL STIL - STatistical Interpretive Language. ["STIL User's Manual", C.F. Donaghey et al, Indust Eng Dept, U Houston (Aug 1969)]. ), Waveform Generation Language (testing) Waveform Generation Language - (WGL) A data description language for test program description. (WGL WGL - Waveform Generation Language ), Value Change Dump Value Change Dump is an ASCII-based format for dumpfiles generated by EDA logic simulation tools. The standard, four-value VCD format was defined along with the Verilog hardware description language by the IEEE Standard 1364-1995 in 1995. (VCD See Video CD. VCD - Video Compact Disc ), Extended VCD (EVCD) and Core Test Language (CTL See control key. 1. CTL - Checkout Test language. 2. CTL - Compiler Target Language. 3. CTL - Computational Tree Logic ). Further information about the Agilent 93000 SmarTest PG 2.2 is available at www.agilent.com/see/smartestpg. Information about Agilent's semiconductor test products is available at www.agilent.com/see/atenews. About the Agilent 93000 SOC Series The Agilent 93000 SOC Series is the industry's fastest-growing, lowest-cost scalable platform architecture with more than 900 installed systems worldwide. The Agilent 93000 SOC Series is designed to meet both the demanding performance and cost challenges of SOC testing. Models are configured to span the widest range of applications that may require ultra-high-speed digital data rates, up to 10 Gb/s, and the broadest range of mixed-signal and RF capabilities. With this range of capabilities, the 93000 SOC Series is the first choice for subcontract manufacturers and the preference for high-volume manufacturing. More information is available at www.agilent.com/see/soctest. U.S. Pricing and Availability The Agilent 93000 SmarTest PG 2.2 is available now for purchase with licensing options ranging from $5,000 to $72,000. About Synopsys Inc. Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq:SNPS) is the world leader in electronic design automation (EDA) software for semiconductor design. The company delivers technology-leading semiconductor design and verification platforms and IC manufacturing software products to the global electronics market, enabling the development and production of complex systems-on-chips (SOCs). Synopsys also provides intellectual property and design services to simplify the design process and accelerate time-to-market for its customers. Synopsys is headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., and has offices in more than 60 locations throughout North America, Europe, Japan and Asia. Visit Synopsys online at www.synopsys.com. About Agilent Technologies Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:A) is a global technology leader in communications, electronics, life sciences and chemical analysis. The company's 28,000 employees serve customers in more than 110 countries. Agilent had net revenue of $7.2 billion in fiscal year 2004. Information about Agilent is available on the Web at www.agilent.com. NOTE TO EDITORS: Further technology, corporate citizenship and executive news is available on the Agilent news site at www.agilent.com/go/news. |
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