Design Workshop Technologies

Cree Inc. utilizes dw-2000 as our preferred CAD tool for the implementation of, primarily, next generation microwave FET and microwave MMIC amplifier designs in SiC (Silicon Carbide), and GaN (Gallium Nitride). Refer to Cree’s website at www.cree.com for more information regarding specifications, target applications, partnerships, and customers. We have also employed dw-2000 in power device design including SiC power mosfets and schottky diodes. The power of the dw-2000 boolean tools has enabled designs that would have been previously too labor intensive to have been cost/time effective to pursue.

dw-2000 has provided a platform for Cree to develop DRC scripts to validate our design and process rules and to eliminate almost all errors prior to ordering masks. This is a significant cost/labor/time savings over discovering problems after a device is partially or fully fabricated.

Perhaps the single most significant feature in terms of cost savings that dw-2000 offers via the power of its boolean tools is the ability to place multiple reticle images into some arrangement on a single mask, a quadrant for example, and to then use boolean operations to generate multiple levels of a device (in this case 4) into a single criteria or GDS layer for mask fabrication. The overall dimension of the quadrant must be less than or equal to the field size of the photolith tool/stepper to be employed, and the tool must be capable of blinding around each of the four reticles on the single mask individually for exposure; essentially, in this case one gains four masks for the price of one.

The list of features available with dw-2000 is impressive. The learning curve is perhaps somewhat higher than with a simpler layout tool but the return on investment of time taken to learn the tool is well worth the effort. Efficiency of many tasks is improved enabling more work to be completed in less time. Every user at Cree who has mastered dw-2000 is quite pleased by its performance and in turn becomes an advocate of the software to others within our company.

Finally, the technical support staff at Design Workshop Technologies is excellent. They are knowledgeable, friendly, and quick to respond to all issues raised. Their manner and expertise are appreciated.

At RSC, we’re an independent privately owned company focused on creating innovative technologies and delivering the winning technical edge in partnership with our customers. With intense time-to-market pressures our designers need proven layout software that works reliably and dw-2000 fills this need. dw-2000 is an impressive layout tool.

Two outstanding features of dw-2000 are the native GDS database that guarantees seamless conversion and export of layout data to the GDS format, and the graphical programming environment (GPE) that gives access to all the capabilities of dw-2000 for automating advanced layout tasks.

Here at Veeco, we decided back in 1991 that it was time to purchase mask layout software to bring this capability in-house, rather than depend upon outside sources. After our investigation into the various options, we chose Design Workshop Technologies’ dw-2000 and have been using it for the past 12 years. We started with the Apple platform, and now have licenses for both the Apple and the PC platforms. We have completed cad layout for hundreds of Veeco reticle designs for the steppers we produce, and have also found dw-2000 very useful for the verification of device layouts of our Customers. The ease of use of the Layout Editor of dw-2000 has always been a big plus.

We have, in addition, always found the Technical Support of Design Workshop Technologies to be excellent, with questions and support needs taken care of with minimal delays.

I particularly appreciate the versatility of dw-2000 that we use to design photomasks for diffractive optics as well as for MEMS-like devices such as microbolometers, lightvalves or micromirrors. dw-2000 prevents any positioning error of MEMS on the CMOS circuitry because the design is made directly on top of the CMOS library. I also want to mention the GPE programming capabilities of dw-2000 for automatic generation of very complex structures that would be otherwise very difficult to build.

We would like to thank Design Workshop Technologies for supporting Lightwave Microsystems in our goal to be the world-leading manufacturer of integrated optical components. For over four years, Lightwave Microsystems has been using dw-2000 as our mask layout software of choice to build our integrated optical components. DWT has been supportive by responding to our specific needs and requirements. DWT has an excellent technical support team that is responsive and knowledgeable. We look forward to building a great business relationship in the future.