SAN JOSE, Calif., July 6, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Magma(r) Design Automation Inc. (Nasdaq:LAVA), a provider of chip design software, today announced YieldManager(r) Solar, a yield enhancement software system customized for solar fabs that improves energy conversion efficiency, increases yield and reduces the manufacturing costs of solar cells. Based on software proven in the semiconductor industry, YieldManager Solar provides fast, accurate analysis and correlation of all metrology, inspection and performance data used throughout the solar cell manufacturing process. With this information, solar fab test and production engineers can quickly identify and correct root causes of solar energy conversion efficiency and yield degradation caused by subtle fab processing fluctuations or instability -- saving time, maximizing equipment utilization, increasing yield and reducing costs.
"Inefficient energy conversion and the need to produce a very large number of wafers contribute to the high cost of solar-converted electricity and slow the growth of the alternative energy market," said Ankush Oberai, vice president of Magma's Fab Analysis Business Unit. "With YieldManager Solar, fabs can carefully monitor the entire solar cell manufacturing process over time and create highly customized reports that enable them to improve the energy conversion efficiency, reduce the manufacturing costs and increase the yield of silicon wafer-based solar cells."
YieldManager Solar: Improving Yield and Efficiency of Photovoltaic Cell
As with semiconductors, solar cells are produced using a variety of manufacturing tools and equipment, each of which presents data in a unique format. With such a complex process and varying data, identifying the root cause of problems requires a holistic approach. YieldManager Solar is the only analysis tool that can collect and organize current and historic manufacturing data from all the process equipment. It allows fab engineers to easily filter data by lot, ingot, substrate, wafer and other parameters and to generate customized reports and dashboards. With this comprehensive analysis system, problems can be identified quickly and easily. For example, a non-uniform doping level on a process step could cause a drop in sheet resistance that can reduce the energy conversion efficiency of a solar cell. By monitoring, reporting and sending alarms about these types of out-of-control conditions, YieldManager Solar helps engineers identify and correct problems quickly. Additional analysis can then be performed, as needed.
YieldManager Solar is available now. For more information, visit the Magma website at www.magma-da.com/ymsolar.
About Magma
Magma's electronic design automation (EDA) software is used to create complex, high-performance integrated circuits (ICs) for cellular telephones, electronic games, WiFi, MP3 players, DVD/digital video, networking, automotive electronics and other electronic applications. Magma products for IC implementation, analog/mixed-signal design, analysis, physical verification, circuit simulation and characterization are recognized as embodying the best in semiconductor technology, providing the world's top chip companies the "Fastest Path to Silicon."(tm) Magma maintains headquarters in San Jose, Calif., and offices throughout North America, Europe, Japan, Asia and India. Magma's stock trades on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol LAVA. Visit Magma Design Automation on the Web at www.magma-da.com.
Magma and YieldManager are registered trademarks and "Fastest Path to Silicon" is a trademark of Magma Design Automation Inc. All other product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
Forward-Looking Statements:
Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this press release, including statements that YieldManager Solar will enable solar fabs to reduce turnaround time and costs and increase yield of solar cells and about the features and benefits of Magma software are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially including, but not limited to Magma's products' abilities to produce desired results. Further discussion of these and other potential risk factors may be found in Magma's public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (www.sec.gov). Magma undertakes no additional obligation to update these forward-looking statements.