The semiconductor industry continues to push technological boundaries with increasingly sophisticated integrated circuit (IC) designs. As process nodes shrink and circuit densities reach unprecedented levels, electromagnetic effects become increasingly critical to device performance and reliability. Modern IC designs face challenges from complex layout-dependent coupling mechanisms, signal integrity issues, and power distribution concerns that can only be adequately addressed through advanced electromagnetic simulation. Accurate 3D simulation capabilities are essential for understanding device behavior and identifying potential design risks before fabrication. To address these demands, the IC Mode available in Ansys Electronics Desktop delivers sophisticated simulation capabilities specifically intended for silicon-scale structures.
Figure 1: Example of advanced semiconductor packaging technology
Advanced Simulation Architecture
IC Mode is a specialized simulation environment that addresses complex design challenges at the chip-to-system level. This purpose-built solution within the Electronics Desktop 3D Layout interface enables signal and power integrity characterization of interposers, RFICs, and on-chip inductors while managing computational complexity inherent in modern semiconductor designs. IC Mode tailors the 3D Layout design type with specialized pre-processing, solver, and post-processing technologies targeted for IC applications. The architecture incorporates sophisticated preprocessing algorithms and multiple solver technologies to handle the intricate geometries of advanced designs. By leveraging state-of-the-art numerical methods and optimization techniques, IC Mode delivers the accuracy required for cutting-edge semiconductor development while maintaining computational efficiency.
Figure 2: Example IC Mode simulations within Ansys Electronics Desktop
Streamlined Data Integration
Engineers can easily import layout data through multiple pathways, including direct GDS file integration with support for both encrypted and unencrypted technology files. XML-based automation capabilities enable systematic preprocessing and simulation configuration which significantly reduces the need for manual intervention. The IC Mode integration framework supports complex design hierarchies and maintains critical layer information throughout the analysis process. This automated workflow extends to parameter sweeps, optimization studies, and batch processing, enabling comprehensive design space exploration with minimal user intervention.
Figure 3: Importing GDS files automatically opens the IC Mode interface
Intelligent Geometry Processing
At the IC scale, managing geometric complexity is key as feature sizes shrink and layout densities increase. IC Mode implements advanced preprocessing techniques including via grouping, primitive snapping, and geometry wrapping to handle the many features in modern IC designs. This workflow incorporates sophisticated containment and violation checking mechanisms to ensure design rule compliance. Automated healing and resolution capabilities ensure simulation-ready designs while maintaining accuracy and optimizing computational efficiency. Advanced meshing algorithms specifically tuned for semiconductor geometries allow for optimal element distribution and solution convergence.
Figure 4: IC Mode includes geometry pre-processing features to ensure solver success while maintaining accuracy.
Multi-Solver Integration
IC Mode provides access to the Ansys industry-leading electromagnetic solvers optimized for specific simulation scenarios and featuring advanced numerical methods for handling semiconductor-scale challenges. This integration enables the comprehensive analysis of complex IC designs:
- HFSS uses the full-wave finite element method to generate high-fidelity S-parameter and field data and is considered an industry benchmark for electromagnetic simulation.
- RaptorX specializes in on-chip silicon designs and uses fast partial element equivalent circuit and random walk methods for precise characterization of layout-dependent effects and complex coupling mechanisms.
- Q3D Extractor delivers detailed resistance, inductance, capacitance, and conductance matrices for accurate circuit simulation and signal integrity analysis.
- The HFSS PI solver provides accelerated 3D FEM solutions specifically tailored to power integrity applications.
Figure 5: Example silicon interposer model with electric fields shown at 100 GHz.
Engineering Impact
The IC Mode simulation environment within the Ansys Electronics Desktop enables semiconductor designers to perform thorough electromagnetic analysis of silicon-scale structures, addressing challenges inherent in the design of modern ICs. By providing accurate characterization of complex coupling mechanisms and layout-dependent effects, IC Mode helps engineers identify and resolve potential issues early in the design cycle, reducing iterations and accelerating time-to-market. With integrated high-fidelity, high-performance solvers combined with automated preprocessing capabilities, IC Mode is an excellent tool for advanced semiconductor design. Through systematic analysis and optimization, engineers can develop robust RFIC, 3D-IC, and advanced packaging designs which meet increasingly demanding performance requirements.