MOSIS Adds 0.25 Micron SiGe BiCMOS Technology Multi-Project Wafer (MPW) Fabrication.

Chip Designers Get Access to Wireless IC Process Technology at Less Than 10% of the Cost of a Dedicated Wafer Run

MARINA DEL REY, Calif. -- MOSIS, a provider of low-cost prototyping and small volume production services for custom ASICs, announces availability of the IBM 0.25 micron SiGe BiCMOS 6WL technology. Utilizing the service gives ASIC designers access to this advanced technology at less than 10% of the cost of a dedicated wafer run, minimizing up-front risk and costs. The process is suited to high-performance analog chip design for consumer wireless applications including mobile phones, WLAN, and global positioning devices. It has 5 metal layers and supports metal-insulator-metal (MiM) capacitors. The top two thick metals can be used to make inductors. Supply voltages are 2.5V for the core and 3.3V for I/O. IBM's flip chip bumping (C4) is subject to availability at additional cost.

Design kits that encompass IBM's design rules, process specifications, SPICE parameters and cell libraries are available. The first MPW run based on this technology is provisionally scheduled for the end of August 2007.

Deputy Director of MOSIS, Wes Hansford, commented, "The more advanced the technology, the higher the chance of designs needing at least one re-spin. Costs can escalate out of control if dedicated wafer runs are used at every step. Shared wafer services dramatically reduce risks and cost, while often reducing overall development time too. Companies designing chips can quickly get samples into the hands of their customers while the devices are being fine-tuned for later volume production runs. This flexibility is particularly important in consumer electronics, where product life cycles are continuing to shrink and time-to-market is a critical success factor."

About MOSIS:

MOSIS is a low-cost prototyping and small-volume production service for VLSI circuit development. Since 1981, MOSIS has fabricated more than 50,000 circuit designs for commercial firms, government agencies, and research and educational institutions around the world. MOSIS provides designers with a single interface to the constantly changing technologies of the semiconductor industry. Mask generation, wafer fabrication, and device packaging are contracted to leading industry vendors. For more information about MOSIS, please visit www.mosis.com.