austriamicrosystems Releases New Version of Its High-Voltage CMOS Design Kit for Mentor Graphics' IC Design Flow.

UNTERPREMSTAETTEN, Austria -- austriamicrosystems (SWX:AMS):

New Mentor Based HIT-Kit v3.71 Includes High-Voltage Devices, Model Files and IO Libraries Optimized for High-Voltage CMOS Product Design

austriamicrosystems' Full Service Foundry business unit today announced an update of its analog/mixed-signal high performance technology design kit ("HIT-Kit") based on Mentor Graphics IC Flow 2005.1 for its advanced 0.35um High-Voltage CMOS technology. The new design environment includes the latest enhancements of austriamicrosystems 0.35um High-Voltage CMOS process technology H35.

The new austriamicrosystems HIT-Kit v3.71 contains improved high-voltage devices, physical verification rule sets for Calibre DRC/LVS, device model files for Calibre xRC as well as the digital and analog periphery libraries with improved ESD protection. A set of very accurate circuit simulation models which now consider parasitic bipolars on high-voltage devices, layout generators and special layout verification utilities like leakage check, complete the easy to use HIT-Kit that enables foundry customers to create robust analog/high-voltage product designs.

"Using our new High-Voltage CMOS HIT-Kit with its updated devices and libraries enables foundry customers to complete their high-voltage product designs in Mentor's state-of-the-art design environment", comments Thomas Riener, Marketing Director of austriamicrosystems' Full Service Foundry business unit. "In combination with the performance improvements we achieved with our advanced High-Voltage CMOS technology we offer a competitive solution enabling our customers to create first time right designs and reduce time-to-market."

Design Kit Details

The new Mentor HIT-Kit v3.71 contains a complete set of fully silicon-qualified standard cells, periphery cells and general purpose analog cells such as comparators, operational amplifiers, low power A/D and D/A converters necessary to rapidly get designs off the ground using Mentor Graphics new IC Flow environment based on ICstudio. Custom analog and high voltage devices, physical verification rule sets for Calibre DRC/LVS and for Calibre xRC parasitic layout extraction, as well as excellent characterized circuit simulation models enable rapid design starts of complex high performance mixed-signal ICs.

All I/O structures within the design kit are silicon-validated and meet the military ESD and JEDEC latch-up standards with I/O pads designed to surpass 4kV HBM and 250mA latch-up immunity. In C35 technology the total I/O libraries consist of more than 1800 cells supporting 3.3V and 3.3V/5V designs. The specialty High-Voltage CMOS process H35 with its floating libraries even includes more than 2400 core and periphery cells.

More details about the Mentor-based HIT-Kit can be found at http://www.mentor.com/products/ic_nanometer_design/foundries/ams_kits. cfm and at http://asic.austriamicrosystems.com/hitkit/index.html

About austriamicrosystems

austriamicrosystems' business unit Full Service Foundry has successfully positioned itself in the analog/mixed-signal foundry market offering well-established RF CMOS, High-Voltage CMOS, BiCMOS and SiGe-BiCMOS processes. With superior support during the design phase, with high-end tools and experienced engineers, austriamicrosystems succeeds to be an attractive analog foundry partner especially for fabless design houses.

austriamicrosystems is a leading designer and manufacturer of high performance analog ICs, combining more than 20 years of analog design capabilities and system know-how with its own state-of-the-art manufacturing and test facilities. austriamicrosystems leverages its expertise in low power and high accuracy to provide industry-leading customized and standard analog products. Operating worldwide with more than 850 employees, austriamicrosystems focuses on the areas of power management, sensors & sensor interfaces, portable audio and car access through its business units Communications, Industry & Medical, Automotive and Full Service Foundry. austriamicrosystems is listed on the SWX Swiss Exchange in Zurich (ticker symbol: AMS). For more information, please visit the web site at www.austriamicrosystems.com