ams sets analogue multi-project wafer dates for 2014
MPW production runs combine designs from several different customers onto a single wafer, offering significant cost advantages for foundry customers as the costs for wafers and masks are shared among a number of different shuttle participants.
ams’ MPW service includes the whole range of 0.18 µm and 0.35 µm specialty processes. ams offers four MPW runs in 0.18 µm CMOS (C18) process as well as four MPW runs in its advanced 0.18 µm High-Voltage CMOS (H18) technology. The H18 process technology is based on IBM’s industry-proven 0.18 µm CMOS process CMOS7RF and offers RF (Radio Frequency) integration and high density SoC (System on a Chip) capability. It is suited for applications such as smart sensors, sensor interface devices, smart meters, industrial and building controls, and LED lighting control in the automotive, industrial and medical markets.
For the 0.35 µm specialty processes, which are based on the 0.35 µm CMOS process transferred from TSMC, a total of 14 runs are offered in 2014: ams’ 0.35 µm High-Voltage CMOS process family with a 20V CMOS option, which is suited for power management products and display drivers; a 50V CMOS option, which has been optimised for automotive and industrial applications; and a 120V module, which meets the requirements of sensor and sensor interface chips in high-voltage applications. The advanced High-Voltage CMOS process with Embedded Flash functionality adds to ams’ MPW service portfolio. The CMOS compatible 0.35 µm SiGe-BiCMOS technology S35 enables RF circuit designs with an operating frequency of up to 7 GHz combined with high-density digital parts on one single ASIC.
Overall, ams will offer almost 150 MPW start dates in 2014, enabled by co-operations with partner organisations such as CMP-TIMA, Europractice, Fraunhofer IIS and Mosis. To take advantage of the MPW service, ams’ foundry customers deliver their completed GDSII-data on specific dates and receive untested packaged samples or dies within a short lead-time of typically 8 weeks for CMOS and 12 weeks for High-Voltage CMOS, SiGe-BiCMOS and Embedded Flash processes.
All process technologies are supported by the well-known hitkit, the ams industry benchmark pro-cess design kit based on Cadence, Mentor Graphics or Agilent ADS design environments. The hitkit comes complete with fully silicon-qualified standard cells, periphery cells and general purpose analogue cells such as comparators, operational amplifiers, low power A/D and D/A converters. Custom analogue and RF devices, physical verification rule sets for Assura and Calibre, as well as precisely characterised circuit simulation models, enable rapid design starts of complex high performance mixed-signal ICs. In addition to standard prototype services, ams also offers advanced analogue IP blocks, a memory (RAM/ROM) generation service and packaging services in ceramic or plastic.
The complete schedule for 2014 has now been released and detailed start dates per process are at https://asic.ams.com/MPW
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