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マキシム >
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高周波ASIC
RFおよびワイヤレス
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ASIC FAQ
General Can I still design an IC if I don't have any IC design experience?
We have worked with many good electrical design engineers who have not had any previous IC design experience. Most of these designs have been very successful. Common sense needs to be exercised when determining the difficulty of the project at hand. Most designers are successful if they start with a fairly simple design and progress to more challenging designs as their expertise grows.
How many people can I send to training?
Maxim can be fairly flexible in this respect. Depending on the opportunity and the magnitude of the design, we can train up to six designers in one class.
Can I supply Maxim with a specification and have Maxim do the design?
Depending on the magnitude of the opportunity, Maxim can perform a turn-key design. We can also recommend qualified third-party design companies to perform the design for you.
Costs & Schedules What does it cost to design an ASIC?
Startup costs vary and include the tools and models necessary to get started. They range from $5K if you use your own Cadence tools, up to $25K if you choose Maxim's ADS simulator, QuERC™ electrical rules checker, and QuicKic™ layout software. Prototype costs start at $39.5K for QuickChips, with custom prototype fabrication somewhat higher. Please contact Maxim for an assessment of your specific needs regarding process type and prototyping options.
How much does it cost to laser trim thin film resistors?
The cost of laser trim varies greatly. It depends on the number of resistors to be trimmed and the number of passes on each resistor. Maxim can do both passive trims and active trims. We would be glad to provide you with a specific quote for your application.
How much do your different packages cost?
Maxim would be more than happy to quote your total IC needs including silicon, testing, and packaging. As a general rule, we do not break out these costs into individual segments. Our packaging is done off-shore and is competitive, and in many cases, more cost effective than our competition.
What is the NRE cost to develop Production Test?
Production test development charges depend upon the complexity of the test requirements as well as the business volume. Typical NRE for wafer test is around $20K if the deliverables are tested die. For final package test, a specific quote is required.
Design Tools & Modeling Do you have package models?
Maxim has complete package models for QFN, UCSP™, TQFP, TSSOP, QSOP, µMAX®, and SOT packages. Many other package models are currently under development. Contact the factory for the latest information.
Do you have models for the bond pads?
Models for bondpads are included in our standard device libraries for both QuickChips and full-custom.
Can you model crosstalk on the IC?
Modeling crosstalk on the IC substrate is not a straightforward procedure. Based on our extensive experience with system-level ICs, we can offer guidelines during the training and design phases to effectively model and simulate crosstalk, and its impact on your circuit performance.
Do you offer Cadence® support?
We currently have Analog Artist and Virtuoso/Diva support available for most of our processes. As newer processes are developed, their respective libraries are added to our design flow.
Can I perform the design and layout on my PC?
We currently provide support for PSpice®. QuicKic has been ported to the PC and is available to perform layout and parasitic extraction.
Can you extract parasitic capacitance and resistance from the layout?
We can extract both parasitic resistance and capacitance from the layout.
Can I design my own nichrome resistors?
You can design and place your own nichrome resistors using our device synthesizers within the layout tool. If a nichrome resistor is to be laser trimmed, it must be designed by Maxim and we will then supply you with the appropriate simulation and layout files.
Support Do you have digital libraries for the BiCMOS process?
We have a set of digital libraries for our MBiC-1, MBiC-2, F60, and GST4P processes. For qualified projects, these cells can be made available. Please contact your ASIC applications engineer.
Does Maxim provide analog cells?
Maxim has a set of analog bipolar cells that are available for ASIC customers using our GST-2 and MBiC-1 processes. These include schematics, netlists, and layout files. For qualified high-volume opportunities, cells from Maxim's library of wireless and fiber products can be made available.
Does Maxim perform the layout?
Typically, the IC design and layout are interactive processes and best performed at the same location. Those involved will have the most intimate knowledge of the circuit and be able to make the best decisions on device placement and metal routing. Maxim will perform the layout if we mutually decide that this is the best solution.
Whom do I contact if I have questions?
If you have not yet started, contact your local Maxim sales office. If you have already started with Maxim, you will be assigned a specific ASIC applications engineer to work with you through your entire project. He can answer all of your questions from initial feasibility, all the way into production.
Process Technology How much isolation can you obtain on chip from one function to the next?
Typically anywhere from 30dB to 70dB depending on the frequency, design and layout techniques. Your ASIC Applications Engineer can provide you with detailed information depending on your specific application.
What is the maximum p-p voltage swing that I can get on your processes?
Maximum p-p voltage swings are dependent on the process breakdown voltages. There are design techniques which allow you to design circuits which produce substantially higher voltage than the process breakdown. We have achieved greater than 9Vp-p swings on our high-frequency processes.
How much gain can I have at a single frequency?
We have been able to obtain 60dB of gain at a single frequency.
What supply voltages can be used?
This tends to be design dependent, but supply voltages from 2.0V to 5.5V are typical.
Packaging Do you have chip-scale packaging?
Yes. Please refer to our packaging section.
How long does it take to package prototype parts?
Prototype packaging is done in Asia and typically takes 2 to 3 weeks. This can be expedited if necessary.
Prototype Evaluation Do you test the prototypes?
Typically, the circuits on the initial prototype-fabrication build are not tested. We do test the process monitor test keys on each wafer to verify that the wafer was processed correctly. This parametric information ascertains whether the reference devices meet guaranteed electrical specifications. Production test is usually completed and verified before the ICs go into volume production.
Does Maxim perform failure analysis if my design doesn't work?
Maxim has a failure analysis laboratory that can assist you in determining your IC problems.
Production Testing Can you perform full RF testing?
We have several different types of RF testers that can test ICs up to 6GHz. When deciding to request RF testing, our ASIC applications engineers can help you make tradeoffs between the complexity of RF test and the associated NRE and production costs.
Can you test parts at different temperatures?
We do have this capability but discourage it for volume production due to the associated difficulty and cost.
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