( DAC 99 Item 10 ) ----------------------------------------------- [6/25/99]

    "IC Layout tools:

     IC layout had a few new players and interesting products.  The big
     thing now is the port of layout to the PC NT platform from the
     Workstation.  The new PC based IC layout products that seem to work
     for large design data are ICEditors, and Silvaco's Expert.  The
     majority of the other vendors - Tanner, Caetena, MyCad do not do well
     w/ large data or output files created by Dracula or Hercules.
     ( http://www.tanner.com )  Synopsys acquired Stanza this week and
     Cadence is working on a similar PC based IC layout editor -- neither
     of which is available as standalone commercial products right now.
     ( http://www.stanzas.com )

     Sagantec has an interesting twist on the symbolic layout & compaction
     market with a new Virtuoso add-on called 'Companion'.  This is a
     compactor-based interactive cell creator that works w/ new topologies
     and makes them DRC clean.  It is a very good technology for your
     processes as the transistor definitions are very straight forward but
     the underlayers and spacings are very difficult and confusing in the
     design rules.  At $50K/license it is reasonable as a supplement for
     layout designers."  ( http://www.sagantec.com )

         - an anon engineer