SAN JOSE, CA--(Marketwired - May 17, 2016) - ProPlus Design Solutions Inc. today announced that United Microelectronics Corporation (NYSE: UMC) (TWSE: 2303) ("UMC"), a leading global semiconductor foundry, has adopted its 9812D wafer-level 1/f noise characterization system.

UMC selected 9812D from ProPlus, the leading technology provider of giga-scale parallel SPICE simulation, SPICE modeling solutions and Design-for-Yield (DFY) applications, to support its process development at the 28 nanometer (nm), 14 nm technology node and beyond. 9812D system has been widely adopted by leading foundries, integrated device manufacturers (IDMs) and fabless semiconductor companies worldwide for advanced process development and evaluation.

UMC has used ProPlus products, including 9812B, the industry's de facto standard 1/f noise measurement system, and BSIMProPlus, golden SPICE modeling platform, since the mid-1990s. It turned to 9812D for better support of its process development at small technology nodes.

Dr. T R Yew, vice president in charge of Advanced Technology Development (ATD) at UMC, says, "Our technology development and advanced circuit designs need a large number of high-quality 1/f noise measurements that become more challenging at advanced nodes. ProPlus has long been our trusted partner supporting our technology development, and 9812D offers the fast and accurate measurements that we need."

Low-frequency noise characterization has become a growing concern for advanced technology development and high-end integrated circuit (IC) designs, and the amount of noise measurements at advanced nodes has increased significantly. The ability to quickly and accurately characterize statistical noise data from multiple wafers and dies at different bias conditions becomes necessary. 

ProPlus' 9812D has added performance, accuracy and functionality to meet these requirements. It includes fast, accurate low-frequency noise characterization capabilities essential for advanced technology nodes, and a unique multi-LNA architecture for all types of noise measurement conditions for various device types. A built-in dynamic signal analyzer (DSA) and multi-threaded processing enable faster and higher quality noise measurements.

"We welcome the opportunity to support UMC's technology development with 9812D," comments Dr. Zhihong Liu, chairman and chief executive officer of ProPlus Design Solutions. "We have worked with UMC's engineering team for more than a decade, and the adoption of 9812D further strengthens this relationship. We're committed to support UMC to develop the industry's leading process technologies."

ProPlus will demonstrate its EDA solutions that enhance the link between design and manufacturing during the Design Automation Conference (DAC) in Booth #1219 Monday, June 6, through Wednesday, June 8, from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. DAC will be held at the Austin Convention Center, Austin, Texas.

About ProPlus Design Solutions
ProPlus Design Solutions, Inc. delivers Electronic Design Automation (EDA) solutions with the mission to enhance the link between design and manufacturing. As the leading provider of nano-scale SPICE modeling, the innovative giga-scale SPICE simulation and design for yield (DFY) applications, it provides the industry's golden SPICE modeling platform, the first and only GigaSpice simulator, and the only integrated DFY design platform. Founded in 2006, ProPlus Design Solutions has R&D centers in the San Jose, Calif., Beijing and Jinan, China, and offices in Tokyo, Japan, Hsinchu, Taiwan, and Shanghai, China. More information about ProPlus Design Solutions can be found at www.proplussolutions.com.

BSIMProPlus, Model Explorer, NanoExplorer, NanoSpice, NanoYield and NoisePro are registered trademarks of ProPlus Design Solutions. ProPlus Design Solutions acknowledges trademarks or registered trademarks of other organizations for their respective products and services.