New X-FAB 0.18 Micrometer Process Maximizes Cost-Effectiveness in Analog/Mixed-Signal Chip Design for Commercial Automotive and Power Management Applications

Industry’s lowest-mask-count modular 0.18 micrometer foundry process combines digital, analog, lowest Ron high-voltage, and embedded non-volatile memory options
 
ERFURT, Germany, April 8, 2008 – X-FAB Silicon Foundries, the world's leading foundry specializing in the production of analog/digital integrated circuits, today announced availability of a new process – the 0.18 micrometer high-voltage analog/mixed-signal platform called XH018 – the foundry industry’s most cost-effective modular analog/mixed-signal process offering integrated digital, analog, high-voltage and embedded non-volatile memory (NVM) features. This combination addresses advanced analog/mixed-signal and high-voltage design needs, and enables companies to optimize for cost-effectiveness of their solutions by selecting only the options that match their specific requirements. Using this new process, they can create competitive, smaller-sized designs and reuse their analog IP across different design projects.
 
The new process features include a large variety of active and passive devices to address analog/mixed-signal design needs. Among these are low on-resistance (Ron) isolated NLDMOS and isolated PLDMOS devices with an Ron as low as 60 milliohm times square millimeter at 50-volt breakdown voltage. In addition, the process includes primitive devices such as mid-voltage and bipolar transistors, MIM capacitors, 8 kilo-ohm per square poly resistors and depletion transistors. Known for its reliability, the NVM Sonos exceeds automotive quality requirements. For typical sizes used in analog/mixed-signal applications, the embedded Sonos NVM also has an extremely compact footprint that is smaller than comparable EEPROM solutions. High voltage requires five masks, and Sonos NVM requires two masks – adding just seven additional masks for a fully integrated solution with digital, analog, high-voltage and NVM features on top of the digital baseline process. The process also comes with support for X-FAB digital libraries with gate densities up to 115K gates per square millimeter. Analog standard cell libraries, currently in development, will be released later this year.
 
Dr. Jens Kosch, chief technology officer at X-FAB, said, “Our customers addressing the 0.18 micrometer analog market space have said they need a high-performance process that delivers cost-competitive designs and design support to get to market quickly. X-FAB addresses those needs through a combination of offerings – our new 0.18-micrometer analog/mixed-signal process with integrated high voltage and embedded NVM that features the industry’s leading cost-per-function performance; and our design support that raises the bar in the industry by providing design kits for all major EDA platforms; analog, digital and I/O libraries; IP blocks and hotline support.”
 
Availability
The XH018 analog/mixed-signal platform is available now for high-volume manufacturing and can be sourced in large volumes from the X-FAB Sarawak facility in Malaysia.
 
About X-FAB
X-FAB is the leading analog/mixed-signal foundry group manufacturing silicon wafers for analog-digital integrated circuits (mixed-signal ICs). X-FAB maintains wafer production facilities in Erfurt and Dresden (Germany), Plymouth (UK), Lubbock, Texas (US) and Kuching, Sarawak (Malaysia), and employs approximately 2,600 people worldwide. Wafers are manufactured based on advanced modular CMOS and BiCMOS processes with technologies ranging from 1.0 to 0.18 micrometers, for applications primarily in the automotive, communications, consumer and industrial sectors. For more information, please visit www.xfab.com.