
Magnachip pushes into automotive power with enhanced 130nm BCD process
Magnachip’s third generation BCD (Bipolar-CMOS-DMOS) 130nm process technology has been certified as Grade-1 under the AEC-Q100 reliability standard for automotive electronics.
As a result the company says it plans to launch targeted marketing activities to attract more automotive semiconductor designers developing power semiconductors such as motor driver ICs, BMS (Battery Management Systems) and DC-DC converter chips. It sees the automotive chip market, including thesse power devices, growing from $42bn today to $60bn in 2023.
“Along with the rapid growth of the automotive power semiconductor market, demand is rising for foundry technologies with the highest possible reliability and cost competitiveness. Thanks to our BCD know-how and manufacturing expertise, I believe MagnaChip is more than capable to be the leading service provider in the growing automotive power semiconductor market,” said YJ Kim, Chief Executive Officer of MagnaChip.
The BCD process technology combines three different process technologies onto a single chip: Bipolar for analogue signal control and CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) and DMOS (Double Diffused Metal Oxide Semiconductor) for digital signal control and high-power handling, used primarily for power semiconductors.
One key enhancement to the 130nm BCD process is Multi-Time Programming (MTP) IP that enables a chip to be reprogrammed at least 1000 times, a desirable feature for power semiconductors that require repeatable memory programming, such as motor driver ICs, power management ICs and level shifter ICs. The previous 130nm BCD process technology required additional photo layers to implement the MTP IP, but the new process does not require additional photo layers as a result of IP design optimization.
