Prototyping schedule 2011 offers additional MPW runs in 0.18µm CMOS and High-Voltage CMOS specialty processes

Unterpremstaetten, Austria (November 22, 2010) – austriamicrosystems' Full Service Foundry business unit today released its further expanded fast and cost-efficient ASIC prototyping service, known as Multi-Project Wafer (MPW) or shuttle run, with an even more extensive schedule in 2011. The service, which combines several designs from different customers onto one wafer offers significant cost advantages for foundry customers as the costs for wafer and masks are shared among a number of different shuttle participants.

austriamicrosystems’ best in class MPW service includes the whole range of 0.18µm and 0.35µm specialty processes. As part of the commitment to provide leading analog semiconductor process technology, manufacturing and services, austriamicrosystems now offers six prototyping runs in 0.18µm CMOS (C18) process as well as four MPW runs in its advanced 0.18µm High-Voltage CMOS (H18) technology. The H18 process technology is based on IBM’s industry proven 0.18µm CMOS process CMOS7RF and is perfectly suited for smart power management ICs in handsets, PDAs, portable media players and other mobile devices.

For the 0.35µm specialty processes, which are based on the 0.35µm CMOS process transferred from TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) a total of 15 runs are offered in 2011. austriamicrosystems' 0.35µm High-Voltage CMOS process family with a 20V CMOS option, ideally suited for power management products and display drivers, a 50V CMOS process, optimized for automotive and industrial applications, and a 120V module optimized for sensor and sensor interface chips serve customers’ demand for high-voltage applications and products. The advanced High-Voltage CMOS process with Embedded Flash functionality adds to austriamicrosystems’ MPW service portfolio. The CMOS compatible 0.35µm Silicon-Germanium BiCMOS technology S35 enables RF circuit designs with an operating frequency of up to 6 GHz combined with high-density digital parts on one single ASIC.

Overall austriamicrosystems will offer almost 150 MPW start dates in 2011, enabled by long lasting co-operations with organizations such as CMP-TIMA, Europractice, Fraunhofer IIS, and Mosis. The complete schedule for 2011 has now been released and detailed start dates per process are available on the web at http://asic.ams.com/MPW.

To take advantage of the MPW service, austriamicrosystems’ foundry customers deliver their completed GDSII-data at specific dates and receive untested packaged samples or dies within a short lead-time of typically 8 weeks for CMOS and 10 weeks for 0.35µm High-Voltage CMOS, SiGe-BiCMOS and Embedded Flash processes. All 0.35µm MPW runs will be produced at austriamicrosystems’ state-of-the-art 8 inch wafer fab in Austria.

All process technologies are supported by the well-known HIT-Kit, an industry benchmark process design kit based on Cadence, Mentor Graphics or Agilent ADS design environments. The HIT-Kit comes complete with fully silicon-qualified standard cells, periphery cells and general purpose analog cells such as comparators, operational amplifiers, low power A/D and D/A converters. Custom analog and RF devices, physical verification rule sets for Assura and Calibre as well as excellently characterized circuit simulation models enable rapid design starts of complex high performance mixed-signal ICs. In addition to standard prototype services, austriamicrosystems also offers analog IP blocks, a memory (RAM/ROM) generation service and packaging services in ceramic or plastic.

About austriamicrosystems

austriamicrosystems’ business unit Full Service Foundry has successfully positioned itself in the analog/mixed-signal foundry market offering well-established RF CMOS, High-Voltage CMOS, BiCMOS, SiGe-BiCMOS and embedded EEPROM processes. With superior support during the design phase, high-end tools and experienced engineers, austriamicrosystems succeeds to be an attractive analog foundry partner especially for fabless design houses.

austriamicrosystems is a leading designer and manufacturer of standard and customized high-performance analog ICs in the areas of power management, sensors & sensor interfaces and mobile infotainment. Complemented by its full service foundry services, the company focuses on the communications, industrial & medical and automotive markets. austriamicrosystems leverages almost 30 years of expertise in low power and high accuracy to provide industry-leading products, operating worldwide with more than 1,000 employees with its own state-of-the-art manufacturing and test facilities. austriamicrosystems is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange in Zurich (ticker symbol: AMS).