Comparison with ECAD
Skeptical or optimistic
- TCAD ? has always been skeptical, even among experts.
- ECAD ? No one questions the use of ECAD tools in IC design.
- Due to different level of abstraction and expectations.
Statistical or deterministic
- TCAD ? always has statistical fluctuations (based on PDE’s which imitate more closely the behavior of the actual device).
- ECAD ? continuous and deterministic (macroscopic, analytic, logic, or closed-form equations).
- The important thing is to know the source of fluctuation or error (physical or numerical), and to be able to quantify it.
Linkage
- Electrical characterization in which SPICE circuit parameters can be extracted from TCAD-simulated I–V characteristics.
- Technology characterization in which interconnect delays can be modeled by TCAD for design-rule checking (DRC) and timing verification.