Phase-shift technology aids Motorola SOI shrink

Motorola SPS has expanded its agreement to license Synopsys' phase-shift technology and mask synthesis software to its advanced 90nm silicon-on-insulator semiconductor process.

Motorola SPS has expanded its agreement to license Synopsys' phase-shift technology and mask synthesis software to apply the technology globally to its advanced 90nm silicon-on-insulator (SOI) semiconductor manufacturing process technology.

"Synopsys phase-shift technology is expected to enables us to tightly control lithography resolution, and thereby enhance yields on our highest performance chips", said Ross Hirschi, Director, Design Environment, Technology Solutions Organization, for Motorola's Semiconductor Products Sector.

"It We anticipate that it will be a key enabler for our 130 and 90nm high performance processes, and we expect to have it available as a component of our 90nm high-performance SOI manufacturing process technology node".

Motorola SPS, an early adopter of lithography-enhancing technology and software, has applied Synopsys phase-shift technology at the 180 and 130nm technology nodes.

SPS phase-shift-enabled ICs include the company's SoC products that are fuelling advanced printers, networking and microprocessor applications based on PowerPC cores and 2.5G, GPRS-based communications chipsets.

Synopsys' phase-shifting software and technology is the only commercially available strong phase-shifting technology currently used by four customers in IC production.

It has been employed to fabricate transistors as small as 9nm - the world's smallest transistors manufactured with 248nm lithography equipment.

The extension agreement also includes a licence of Synopsys' patents related to this technology.

"This licence extension agreement strengthens our existing relationship and serves as an endorsement of the teamwork and the technology that has helped generate commercial success for Motorola's advanced processors", stated Sandeep Khanna, Vice President of Marketing for Synopsys' Design for Manufacturing product line.

"We've learned a lot through the course of our relationship and we're looking forward to contributing to Motorola's continued success".

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