X-FAB Adds Two New Processes Expanding Technology Offerings.Business/Technology Editors ERFURT, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 28, 2000 New 0.6 micron micron: see micrometer. One micrometer, which is one millionth of a meter or approximately 1/25,000 of an inch. The tiny elements that make up a transistor on a chip are measured in micrometers and nanometers. See process technology. BiCMOS Process Family; New Power Metal Process Option for 0.8 micron CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) Pronounced "c-moss." The most widely used integrated circuit design. It is found in almost every electronic product from handheld devices to mainframes. High-Voltage Technology X-FAB Semiconductor Foundries Group announced today that it has expanded its product line of highly specialized processes for the production of silicon wafers. For customers utilizing the 0.6-micron BiCMOS technology process, the company unveiled a newly developed a 0.6-micron double-poly, double-metal BiCMOS process with buried-layer architecture and transit frequencies for bipolar transistors (electronics) bipolar transistor - A transistor made from a sandwich of n- and p-type semiconductor material: either npn or pnp. The middle section is known as the "base" and the other two as the "collector" and "emitter". up to 16 GHz. This process is especially intended for high-frequency and extremely precise linear applications. Also announced today is a new 0.8-micron power Metal High Voltage The term high voltage characterizes electrical circuits, in which the voltage used is the cause of particular safety concerns and insulation requirements. High voltage is used in electrical power distribution, in cathode ray tubes, to generate X-rays and particle beams, to CMOS Process that will find extensive use in automotive and power management applications. X-FAB CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. Konrad Herre said, "We are continually broadening our existing process groups and introducing new processes that bring our customers crucial advantages for their product development. The new 0.6-micron BiCMOS process is one example of how X-FAB is the leader in the development of highly specialized, mixed-signal technologies for the widest variety of applications. The new 0.6 micron BiCMOS technology addresses applications in the telecommunications sector that require a highly precise linear area. And the new Power Metal Module in our 0.8 micron CMOS High-Voltage Technology provides optimum conditions for the implementation and switching of higher currents and voltages." The new 0.6 micron BiCMOS process, along with appropriate design kits and simulation models, is available immediately for product development. Of significance, the libraries currently available for X-FAB's 0.6-micron CMOS process family are fully compatible and functional in the new BiCMOS technology. In addition, the availability of a wide selection of convenient, well-described and classified "primitives" guarantees designers a high degree of flexibility. Available components of the new process include bipolar (1) See bipolar transmission. (2) One of two major categories of transistor; the other is "field effect transistor" (FET). Although the first transistors and first silicon chips were bipolar, most chips today are field effect transistors wired as CMOS logic, which elements such as NPN (1) See new public network. (2) (Negative Positive Negative) See PN junction. single-base and double-base transistors, NPN power transistors, NPN matching transistors, as well as lateral PNP transistors. Enhancing the active elements are a series of passive elements including resistors (diffused dif·fuse v. dif·fused, dif·fus·ing, dif·fus·es v.tr. 1. To pour out and cause to spread freely. 2. To spread about or scatter; disseminate. 3. resistors -- P+; N+; Base; NWELL; poly resistors -- poly1, poly2, high-resistance) and capacitors (sinker-poly1 capacitors; high capacitance capacitance, in electricity, capability of a body, system, circuit, or device for storing electric charge. Capacitance is expressed as the ratio of stored charge in coulombs to the impressed potential difference in volts. poly-poly capacitors; high capacitance sinker-poly-poly sandwich capacitors). The new 0.8 micron Power Metal CMOS High-Voltage Process adds a third metalization layer The top layers of a chip that interconnect the transistors and resistors. There are usually two to four such layers made of aluminum that are separated by a silicon dioxide insulation layer. See copper chip. ("Power Metal Option") for special power applications to the company's existing 0.8 um CMOS Family. The third metal layer is not used as a wiring level, but rather for the creation of larger outputs and driver levels up to 5 mA/um. This is achieved via a significantly thicker aluminum layer with a layer resistance of 0.012 ohms/um2. The main advantage of this process is the reduction of the real "on" resistance of large high-voltage driver structures, important in the automobile industry automobile industry, the business of producing and selling self-powered vehicles, including passenger cars, trucks, farm equipment, and other commercial vehicles. and in power management applications. The basic process of the 0.8 micron CMOS process family already included options such as high-resistive poly and high-voltage. The utilization of the new Power Metal Option enables unlimited implementation of all available process options and their corresponding circuitry, as well as stacked vias and stacked contacts, used for achieving higher package density. Because this process extension does not affect existing libraries for the 0.8 micron CMOS process group, they are usable without restrictions. This process is currently qualified for volume production. About X-FAB Semiconductor Foundries Group X-FAB, headquartered in Erfurt, Germany, is an independent, mixed-signal foundry in Europe. The firm, which combines the wafer production and technology development capacities of the existing X-FAB and the former Thesys Manufacturing, owns -- together with X-FAB Texas (Lubbock, Texas “Lubbock” redirects here. For other uses, see Lubbock (disambiguation). Lubbock is the 10th-largest city in the state of Texas.[1] Located in the northwestern part of the state—a region known historically as the Llano Estacado ) -- three production facilities with a capacity of over 8,000 6-inch wafers per week. X-FAB currently has over 600 employees. X-FAB Semiconductor Foundries GmbH Haarbergstr. 67 D-99097 Erfurt Germany Tel: +49 361 427-6000 Fax: +49 361 427-6111 X-FAB Texas, Inc. 2301 N. University Ave. Lubbock, TX 79415 USA Tel: +1 806 747-4400 ext. 2271 Fax: +1 806 747-3111 info@xfab.com Internet: http://www.xfab.com |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion