STMicroelectronics, Soitec (Euronext) and CMP (Circuits Multi Projets®) today announced that ST’s CMOS 28nm Fully Depleted Silicon-On-Insulator (FD-SOI) process, which uses innovative silicon substrates from Soitec, is now available for prototyping to universities, research labs and design companies through the silicon brokerage services provided by CMP.
ST is releasing this process technology to third parties as it nears completion of its first commercial wafers.
The introduction in CMP’s catalogue of ST’s 28nm FD-SOI CMOS process builds on the successful collaboration that has allowed universities and design firms to access previous CMOS generations including 45nm (introduced in 2008), 65nm (introduced in 2006), 90nm (introduced in 2004), and 130nm (introduced in 2003).
CMP’s clients also have access to 65nm and 130nm SOI (Silicon-On-Insulator), as well as 130nm SiGe processes from STMicroelectronics. For example, 170 universities and other companies have received the design rules and design kits for the ST 90nm CMOS process, and more than 200 universities and companies have received the design rules and design kits for the ST 65nm bulk and SOI CMOS processes.
Since CMP started offering the ST 28nm CMOS bulk technology in 2011, some 60 universities and microelectronics companies have received the design rules and design kits and 16 integrated circuits (ICs) have already been manufactured.
“There has been a great interest in designing ICs using these processes, with about 300 projects having been designed in 90nm (phased out in 2009), and more than 300 already in bulk 65nm,” said Bernard Courtois, Director of CMP. “In addition, more than 60 projects have already been designed in 65nm SOI and it is interesting to note that many top universities in Europe, USA/Canada and Asia have already taken advantage of the collaboration between CMP and ST.”
The CMP multi-project wafer service allows organizations to obtain small quantities--typically from a few dozens to a few thousand units--of advanced ICs. The cost of the 28nm FD-SOI CMOS process has been fixed to 18,000 €/mm2, with a minimum of 1mm2.
“With the first designs in FD-SOI technology already in the pipeline, the time is right to make the technology available to the research communities.
Our FD-SOI manufacturing process allows existing designs to be quickly and easily ported to FD-SOI where significant power and performance benefit can be realized,” said Philippe Magarshack, Executive Vice President, Design Enablement and Services, STMicroelectronics. “In addition, ensuring that universities have access to our leading-edge technologies can help us attract the best young engineers as part of our commitment to remain a technology leader on a long-term basis.”
“Our partnership with STMicroelectronics and CMP is an additional example of Soitec’s commitment to providing differentiated materials solutions to the open market, supporting the continual expansion of the FD-SOI ecosystem and users of advanced technologies,” said Steve Longoria, senior vice president of worldwide strategic business development for Soitec. “Through this partnership we will see new and innovative products based on Soitec's FD-SOI materials, as a result of providing universities and other customers with a proven path for developing and testing next-generation integrated circuits.”
About STMicroelectronics
ST is a global leader in the semiconductor market serving customers across the spectrum of sense and power technologies and multimedia convergence applications. From energy management and savings to trust and data security, from healthcare and wellness to smart consumer devices, in the home, car and office, at work and at play, ST is found everywhere microelectronics make a positive and innovative contribution to people's life. By getting more from technology to get more from life, ST stands for life.augmented.
In 2011, the Company’s net revenues were $9.73 billion. Further information on ST can be found at www.st.com.
About Soitec
Soitec is an international manufacturing company, a world leader in generating and manufacturing revolutionary semiconductor materials at the frontier of the most exciting energy and electronic challenges. Soitec’s products include substrates for microelectronics (most notably SOI: Silicon-on-Insulator) and concentrator photovoltaic systems (CPV).
The company’s core technologies are Smart Cut™, Smart Stacking™ and Concentrix™, as well as expertise in epitaxy. Applications include consumer and mobile electronics, microelectronics-driven IT, telecommunications, automotive electronics, lighting products and large-scale solar power plants. Soitec has manufacturing plants and R&D centers in France, Singapore, Germany and the United States. For more information, visit: www.soitec.com.
About CMP
CMP is a broker in ICs and MEMS for prototyping and low volume production. Circuits are fabricated for Universities, Research Laboratories and Industrial Companies. Advanced industrial technologies are available in CMOS, BiCMOS, SiGe BiCMOS, High Voltage, FD-SOI down to 20nm, pHEMT GaAs, and MEMS etc. CMP distributes and supports several CAD software tools for both Industrial Companies and Universities. Since 1981, more than 1000 Institutions from 70 countries have been served, more than 6,000 projects have been prototyped through 700 runs, and 60 different technologies have been interfaced. For more information, visit: http://cmp.imag.fr.