Product category:
Design and Development Software
News Release from: IMEC
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 21 March 2003
Collaboration produces new-generation
SiGe process
IMEC and National Semiconductor are jointly developing a 0.18-micron and follow-up generation of silicon germanium (SiGe)-based BiCMOS process technology optimised for low power applications.
IMEC and National Semiconductor are jointly developing a 0.18-micron and follow-up generation of silicon germanium (SiGe)-based BiCMOS process technology optimised for low power applications Targeted at low power applications, the joint process development with IMEC will enable National Semiconductor to offer a 0.18-micron SiGe-based BiCMOS process by December 2003 for its South Portland, Maine manufacturing facility
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 20 Feb 2002 at 8.00am (UK)
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IMEC has signed of a letter of intent with Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation to establish a long-term partnership in advanced semiconductor process technologies.
In the second phase of the four-year frame contract, IMEC and National Semiconductor plan to develop next-generation SiGe-based BiCMOS technology by the first half of 2005.
This next-generation process technology will also be demonstrated at National's Maine facility.
Since January 2002, IMEC and National have been jointly developing a 0.18-micron SiGe HBT (heterojunction bipolar transistor) module for integration into National's existing high speed BiCMOS process family.
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Under terms of the non-exclusive agreement, IMEC will license its 0.18-micron SiGe HBT module to National along with the test chip structures and bipolar model.
National will integrate the SiGe HBT module into its existing 0.18-micron CMOS process without changes to the CMOS performance.
A suite of radio frequency (RF) passive components such as spiral inductor, varactor, metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitor and poly-silicon resistors will also be fully integrated into the process giving National an enhanced process capability for RF designs targeted at next-generation RF market needs.
Many of National's products will benefit from these advanced SiGe-based devices.
"National Semiconductor's process technology development effort targets low-power, low-noise device performance and a full suite of passive elements in order to take our products to the next level in RF performance", said Kamal Aggarwal, Executive Vice President of Central Technology and Operations at National Semiconductor.
The present version of the integrated 0.18-micron HBT module under development reaches an Ft x BVceo product exceeding 200, with 40% increase of Ft at low-current densities.
The peak Fmax exceeds 100GHz.
"The process is being further optimised to achieve the best trade-off between peak Ft, low current Ft and minimum noise figure", said Mohan Yegnashankaran, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Product Development at National Semiconductor.
"Our joint recent world-class results are very encouraging and show the powerful capabilities of this process architecture", said Gilbert Declerck, President and CEO of IMEC.
"We are convinced that together with National Semiconductor we will be able to achieve the challenging targeted specifications and we are looking forward to extend this collaboration in the joint development of 0.13-micron BiCMOS process".
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