AIM Photonics Welcomes Mentor as Newest Tier 1 Member
Published:
Monday, July 17, 2017 - 16:03
For Immediate Release: July 12, 2017
Contact:
Shari Voorhees-Vincent (ESD) | Shari.Voorhees-Vincent@esd.ny.gov | (585) 399-7055
Steve Ference (AIM) | sference@sunypoly.edu | (518) 956-7319
Mike Santarini (Mentor) | mike_santarini@mentor.com | (510) 354-7322
US-Backed Initiative Taps Technology Leader in Electronic Design Automation (EDA) to Enable Design of State-of-the-Art Silicon Photonics Chips
Today’s Announcement Complements “Finger Lakes Forward” – The Region’s Successful Blueprint to Grow the Economy and Create New Opportunities
ROCHESTER, NY - The American Institute for Manufacturing Integrated Photonics (AIM Photonics), a public-private partnership advancing the nation’s photonics manufacturing capabilities, today announced Mentor®, a Siemens Business and global EDA leader, as the newest Tier 1 member of AIM Photonics. Mentor brings its expertise in Electronic Photonics Design Automation (EPDA), a critical design technology enabler for AIM Photonics’ Process Design Kit (PDK) and Multi Project Wafer (MPW).
Mentor’s software and hardware design solutions enable companies to develop better electronic products faster and more cost-effectively. These solutions will help engineers in AIM Photonics and member companies overcome design challenges in the increasingly complex world of board and chip design, especially as it relates to integrated silicon photonics.
“AIM Photonics has built an integrated photonics design solution package that is second to none, mainly due to the membership of global electronic design leaders like Mentor,” said Dr. Michael Liehr, CEO of AIM Photonics. “Their expertise in functional verification, design for test, and PCB design are a plus for our new Test, Assembly, and Packaging (TAP) facility now under construction.”
“Mentor’s goal in joining AIM is to unify the electronic and photonic design processes so that custom IC designers can be successful with their photonic IC designs,” said Robert Hum, vice president, Deep Sub Micron Division at Mentor. “We are enhancing our Pyxis®-based custom design flow to achieve this goal. The photonic design flow also includes Eldo®, Questa® ADMS and Calibre® for verification.”
Since fall of 2016 AIM Photonics has released a number of versions and updates to its PDK, in support of its MPW program and third call for proposals. Mentor also recently presented on PIC Design for AIM MPW at the AIM Photonics Proposer event in Rochester, NY. Since then, numerous commercial, government, and university organizations have signed up to participate in the PDK and MPW programs.
In a recent announcement, Mentor provided details on a new integration with PhoeniX Software, also an AIM Photonics EPDA Member, that reduces tape-out time for integrated photonics designers by enabling faster iterations between final sign-off verification and the design tool. Designers using the new integration will be able to more quickly identify and correct layout issues to ensure their designs comply with manufacturing requirements.
“The exceptional response to our PDK and MPW offerings is a testament to what Mentor brings to AIM Photonics’ EPDA program,” said Brett Attaway, AIM Photonics EPDA Executive Director. “The fantastic synergy between AIM’s EPDA members has been instrumental in bringing new integrated photonic design solutions to the market quickly.”
About AIM Photonics
AIM Photonics is one of a number of Manufacturing Innovation Institutes, an industry-driven public-private partnership that focuses the nation’s premiere capabilities and expertise to capture critical global manufacturing leadership in a technology that is both essential to national security and positioned to provide a compelling return-on-investment to the U.S. economy. For more information about AIM Photonics, visit http://www.aimphotonics.com/
Accelerating Finger Lakes Forward
Today’s announcement complements “Finger Lakes Forward,” the region’s comprehensive blueprint to generate robust economic growth and community development. The State has already invested more than $3.4 billion in the region since 2012 to lay the groundwork for the plan – investing in key industries including photonics, agriculture and food production, and advanced manufacturing. Today, unemployment is down to the lowest levels since before the Great Recession; personal and corporate income taxes are down; and businesses are choosing places like Rochester, Batavia, and Canandaigua as a destination to grow and invest in.
