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Applied Wave Research Inc. (AWR^®) and Peregrine Semiconductor announced the availability of a process design kit (PDK) for Peregrine's UltraCMOS complimentary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) silicon-on-sapphire (SOS) process in AWR's Analog Office^® design suite, a software product developed specifically for analog and radio-frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) design. The delivery of the UltraCMOS Process Design Kit is the first step in a long-term collaboration between the two companies to deliver complete RFIC design solutions for specialized high frequency RF applications. Analog Office design software and the UltraCMOS Process Design Kit will help design engineers significantly shorten IC development cycles, accelerate tape-out to Peregrine's process and speed wireless products to market.

"Peregrine Semiconductor is a global leader of high performance RF CMOS solutions and its UltraCMOS process technology drives unprecedented levels of monolithic integration throughout a broad portfolio of mixed-signal RFICs," said Sarkis Narkizian, vice president of RFIC business development at AWR. "The open Analog Office RFIC design platform and the UltraCMOS Process Design Kit coupled with Peregrine's semiconductor manufacturing leadership will result in a top quality design solution that will greatly benefit not only the customers of both companies, but the high frequency design community as a whole."

The newest AWR-based PDK is based on the GA and GC variants of Peregrine's UltraCMOS process, which enables the combination of high performance RF, mixed-signal, passive elements, nonvolatile memory and digital functions on a single device without blocking capacitors. By utilizing a sapphire substrate, which is a near-perfect insulator, UltraCMOS wafers enjoy low defect density for simpler construction; dielectrically isolated transistors for excellent power handling and multiple thresholds; and inherent CMOS logic levels. UltraCMOS delivers the fundamental reliability, cost effectiveness, high yields, scalability and monolithic integration of standard CMOS, while achieving peak RF performance traditionally expected from the more exotic process technologies.

The UltraCMOS PDK for Analog Office 2006 software is available immediately without additional charge for all customers using Analog Office 2006 software.

"Peregrine is pleased to offer an UltraCMOS Process Design Kit for AWR's Analog Office design environment," said John Sung, director of CAD engineering at Peregrine. "After using Analog Office during the PDK development process, our designers were impressed with the tight electrical and physical integration, ease-of-use and the environment tailored for high frequency RF designers. The PDK includes a complete set of validated schematic symbols, simulation models and fully parameterized layout cells that are characterized to match the UltraCMOS process performance."