Syncron Technologies, www.syncrontechnologies.com, a recently launched DESP (design environment service provider) announced it has been contracted by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop design tools for integrated three-dimensional electronic circuits. DARPA manages and directs selected research and development projects for the U.S. Dept. of Defense.

The contract, valued at up to $850,000, was awarded by DARPA's Microsystems Technology Office (MTO) as part of its Automated Design Tools for Integrated Mixed Signal Microsystems (NeoCAD) program. Established to improve design and development efficiency of high-performance mixed signal systems for military applications, the NeoCAD program aims to reduce time and cost of the design cycle by a factor of 10 to 100. 

For the DARPA project, Syncron will address the global modeling and simulation of electronic circuits; develop predictive planning tools that consider the full constraints imposed by electro-thermal and signal integrity; and demonstrate the feasibility of designing 3-D architectures with acceptable performance. 

Syncron will integrate the new technology into its Universal Design Network (UDN), a tightly integrated group of proprietary software systems -- including design project management, collaboration, parts management, design and design verification -- that greatly reduces design iterations and eliminates interoperability concerns. Administered entirely via the Web, the UDN connects project users through peer-to-peer deployment, whereby the software overlays into existing design systems, allowing all participating engineers to share parts and design data. The UDN is the first secure, open and flexible design environment.

Designing high-performance, high-complexity systems currently takes about two years and requires several iterations involving design, fabrication and testing.Syncron's proposal to DARPA presented innovative design tools that demonstrate orders-of-magnitude reduction in design-cycle time and cost.

At Syncron, we are dedicated to process innovation and technology services that enable designers of high-speed electronics to substantially shorten product development time and reduce costs, said CTO Myoung Jin, Ph.D., who led the effort to secure the DARPA award.This is especially important as the complexity of electronic systems increases, as exemplified by 3-D electronic circuits.

Supporting Dr. Jin in the DARPA project will be two members of Syncron's Technical Advisory Board -- Andreas Cangellaris and Michael Steer, Ph.D.'s, professors of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Illinois and North Carolina State University, respectively.

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