Silicon Integration Initiative Targets New Silicon Carbide Standard SPICE Model

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Si2 Compact Model Coalition has voted to fund and standardize a SPICE model for silicon carbide-based metal-on-silicon field-effect transistors. Featuring high efficiency and fast operation with low switching losses, silicon carbide-based metal-on-silicon-field effect transistors are popular in high-growth semiconductor applications such as photovoltaic inverters and converters, industrial motor drives, electric vehicle powertrain and EV charging, and power supply and distribution.

A CMC working group will oversee the model development as part of advancing Si2’s mission to reduce interoperability costs, said Peter Lee, CMC chair. Participating companies include Analog Devices, Cadence Design Systems, Infineon, Qualcomm, Siemens EDA, Silvaco and Synopsys. The decision to launch the working group came after the CMC evaluated the model’s ROI for members and interest by the industry at large.

“I’d encourage companies with a stake in SiC devices to join this effort and help guide selection of the model which best represents their intended use,” advised Lee. “They can benefit from both cost reduction that comes from shared model support and a standardized and qualified model that has ongoing bug fixes and requested feature enhancements from many like-minded companies.”

“Next Generation SiC MOSFETS has many features that make them suitable, and even superior to legacy silicon solutions, for several high voltage applications. While the devices can handle high-temperature and voltage, its minimal ON-resistance allows smaller packages and better energy savings than comparable silicon devices,” stated Colin Shaw from Silvaco, the working group chair.

About the Compact Model Coalition

Now in its 25th year, the Si2 Compact Model Coalition provides semiconductor manufacturers, designers, and simulation tool providers a means to pool resources to fund standardization and optimization of standard compact SPICE models and standard interfaces to promote simulation tool interoperability. CMC funds and supports select university and national laboratory compact model developers. The CMC quality assurance program ensures that simulations are accurate and uniform across different vendors. The world’s most advanced semiconductor designs are all designed and simulated using the standards funded by the CMC.

About the Silicon Integration Initiative (Si2)

Si2 is a leading research and development joint venture that provides standard interoperability solutions for IC design tools. Its primary products include OpenAccess, the world’s most widely used, open reference database for IC design, with a supporting standard APA. All Si2 activities are carried out under the auspices of the National Cooperative Research and Production Act of 1993, the fundamental law that defines R&D joint ventures and offers them a large measure of protection against federal antitrust laws.