And now, here's the main content of this page:

Premium Support for PyCell Studio Developers

Ciranova™ Premium Support for PyCell Studio™ developers includes services and premium features to help ramp a project quickly and keep it on track. Our philosophy for Premium Support is to give you a broad selection of tools, documentation and advice so that you can develop the exact OpenAccess PCell solution you need.

Fast, Responsive Commercial Support:

Developers with Premium Support agreements receive fast responses from Ciranova's support staff. Support agreements include:

• Fast turn-around of hot fixes
• Committed response times for error reports
• Telephone and email support (9am-5pm Pacific time, Monday-Friday excluding holidays)
• A private web page for submitting and tracking support requests
• Early product releases when available

Premium Features: Technology File Creation

Developers with Premium Support contracts also receive a variety of premium features to enhance and accelerate technology file creation. These include:

Most processes at 90nm and below require designers to adhere to a variety of complex rules, including conditional rules. Developers with Premium Support agreements receive the ability to encode conditional rules into PyCell Studio technology files.

• Encode single-layer and multi-layer conditional design rules
• Ensure PyCells create the most compact layout possible while conforming to all applicable rules

Current IC designs often require different design rules be used on the same chip, often on adjacent devices. The most common example is minimum & recommended rules for the same device (DFM rules).

Developers with Premium Support agreements receive the ability to encode multiple rule sets within their technology files, to enable end-users to select which rule set to use for each PyCell instance. This eliminates the need to create and manage separate libraries for each rule set.

To get the most out of PyCell Studio, it is critical to develop a complete, accurate technology file. Developers with Premium Support agreements receive utilities to accelerate conversion from existing design rule sources.

• Use your golden design rule sources to create PyCell Studio technology files
• Reduce the time required to build and update technology files
• Minimize the problems associated with managing multiple process rule sources

Premium Features: PCell Caching & Freezing

Developers with Premium Support contracts also receive premium software and features to enhance PCell productivity and usability. These include:

Persistent PCells solve critical performance and interoperability problems for PCell developers and users. Developers with Premium Support agreements receive PCell Xtreme™, Ciranova's exclusive persistent PCell solution. PCell Xtreme creates persistent PCells by caching PCell geometry on disk in OpenAccess database format.

PCell Xtreme enables you to create an interoperable Persistent PCell methodology for the tools in your OpenAccess flow, to meet a variety of unique requirements. Developer capabilities include:

• The ability to enable and disable caching
• Tools to query the cache, control cache life, and flush the cache
• Developers may manage the cache at the library level, by a group of PCells, or by indvidual PCell
• Versioning may be applied to all aspects of PyCell libraries and technology databases

PCell Xtreme enables caching of any OpenAccess PCell, including PCells written in proprietary languages. This allows developers to build OpenAccess-based design flows which utilize legacy PCells in tools from many vendors. Click here to learn more about PCell Xtreme.

Developers with Premium Support contracts receive the ability to create a PCell freezing methodology for their end-users, based on these exclusive PyCell capabilities:

• Each PyCell library is compiled with its own technology database. This enables multiple PyCell libraries with different technology files to be used in one design. This also means that PyCell-based layouts are not susceptible to changes in a central technology file.
• A cached PCell is "frozen" on disk as an OpenAccess database file, which can be checked into design management tools like any other file.
• Versioning may be applied to all aspects of PyCell libraries and technology databases

Together with PCell Xtreme, these capabilities enable developers to create a flexible, efficient PCell freezing methodology which works with their design flow and tools.

Please note: End users must license PCell Xtreme, or receive it as part of an End-User Premium Support agreement, in order to take advantage of PCell caching or freezing features described above.

All PyCells Can Be Instantiated by Any End-user:

Any PyCell can be instantiated by any end-user authorized by the developer, whether or not that user has a support contract with Ciranova. No matter what Premium Features have been used to create a PyCell library, all end users will be able to access its full functionality.

For example, a developer with Premium Support may take advantage of the Premium technology file features create a 45nm PyCell library that includes conditional rules and multiple rule sets. All that is required to instantiate this PyCell library is the free PyCell Studio software from Ciranova.

More Premium Features On The Way

Developers with Premium Support agreements will receive exclusive new software and benefits, which are now under development, in 2008.

Don't Wait Until It's Too Late

Don't wait until your PyCell development project is stalled in its tracks. Ciranova is a committed partner who will stand by you every step of the way with fast commercial support, bug fixes and Premium Features. Premium Support is the insurance policy you need to keep your project on schedule and within budget.

Click here for Developer Premium Support pricing and contact information.