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SMARTCOM

Chairman of the Board of Directors: Peter Statev SMARTCOM-BULGARIA AD Tsarigradsko Shosse Blvd., 7th km, BIC IZOT, Floor 4, 1784 Sofia, Bulgaria

http://www.smartcom.bg/

tel.: (+359 2) 9650650; fax: (+359 2) 9743469

e-mail: peter.statev@smartcom.bg

In addition to its excellent track record in the telecommunications technologies, Smartcom Bulgaria has a good experience in the semiconductor electronic design automation (EDA) field as well, and particularly in:

• model support for different circuit simulators
• behavioural Verilog-A model development
• library verification
• custom applications software development.

Throughout the work on Integrated Circuit (IC) projects most of the industry standard tools, languages, APIs, and methodologies have been used enabling Smartcom Bulgaria to gain an independent, third-party perspective.

The fast-paced world of EDA software development poses a unique set of challenges. Semiconductor CAD departments must constantly walk the line between utilizing the industry standard “off-the-shelf” tools and their own internally developed systems. The struggle to integrate the more generalized industry tools with their own customized tools and design flows is a never-ending effort. EDA development requires the developer to have a unique combination of a strong engineering foundation as well as solid software development skills. To get this combination, companies traditionally either train their engineering staff internally, or hire independent contractors on an as-needed basis. Training staff internally requires time that is often not available due to the frequent changes in semiconductor design cycles. Hiring independent contractors is often a gamble. Companies do not know if they have hired a quality developer until they are already committed. In addition, because these individuals are usually hired for short periods then released, there is no continuity with the project and/or the internal design team.

Smartcom Bulgaria provides its clients with proven development resources. By forming long-term relationships with its clients, the company maintains continuity with their development efforts. The staff becomes familiar with the client’s particular development environments, needs, and methods. This enables Smartcom Bulgaria to respond rapidly, whenever its client’s needs change.

Smartcom Bulgaria has experience throughout many of the design flow stages. The following tasks, tools, etc are a few to mention:

Tasks:

• Library characterization
• Behavioural modelling
• Simulation and model support
• SKILL custom applications development
• DRC and LVS validations and deck development

Tools:

• Cadence tools (Virtuoso/XL, Spectre/RF, Assura, Diva, PSpice)
• Mentor Graphics tools (Eldo/RF, Calibre, ModelSIM)
• Synopsys tools (Hspice, Hercules)
• Internally developed tools.

Languages:

• Verilog-A
• SPICE
• VHDL, Verilog
• C++, C, Assembly
• SKILL, Lisp
• Shell scripting languages

Platforms

• Unix (Solaris, SunOS, Linux, AIX)
• MS Windows, MS-DOS.

It’s the custom nature of the development projects that has enabled Smartcom Bulgaria to acquire vast experience in many diverse areas of the design flow. This experience, in conjunction with high quality personnel, enables Smartcom Bulgaria to be dynamic enough to tackle almost any EDA project.

As a custom hardware and software development company, there are no limits on what projects can be undertaken. However, most software development efforts require the same basic types of services. Some of the common EDA services available from Smartcom Bulgaria include:

• Verilog-A behavioural model development (RF electronic circuits including noise and temperature dependence models, MEMS)
• Model support for different manufacturing processes for different simulators (Eldo, Spectre, HSpice)
• Cadence library characterization and customization
• SKILL custom applications development.

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