XFAB

06-07 Jun 2012: Sensors Expo & Conference, Rosemont, IL, USA

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 09:00:00 +0200

Sensors Expo & Conference is the only industry event in North America exclusively focused on sensors and sensor-integrated systems. The conference program is dedicated to exploring the most up-to-date innovations in sensor technology, including MEMS, Energy Harvesting, Wireless Sensor Data & Networks, Measurement & Detection, and more. Sensors Expo & Conference identifies cutting-edge trends, explores them in an information-packed conference program and reflects those trends throughout the exhibit floor with new product announcements, key technology-focused areas, such as Energy Harvesting, MEMS and Wireless, and a showcase of hundreds of products and services. For more information, visit www.sensorsexpo.com.

Meet us at booth #826.

To arrange for meetings with X-FAB at the show site, please contact Sales.Americas@xfab.com

30 & 31 May 2012: Webinar on Design Challenges & Solutions for AC LED Lighting and AC/DC Power Supply Applications

Wed, 16 May 2012 10:47:00 +0200

Stay tuned for more information on the upcoming webinar. The registration links and further information will be posted here shortly. If you would like to receive a personal invitation to the next webinar, please send an email to seminar@xfab.com

X-FAB Joins the IPL Alliance and Announces iPDK Availability

Mon, 14 May 2012 16:00:00 +0200

MOUNTAN VIEW, Calif. – The Interoperable PDK Libraries (IPL) Alliance announced today that X-FAB Silicon Foundries has joined the IPL Alliance, a standards organization whose charter is to establish an interoperable custom design ecosystem. X-FAB, the leading foundry group for analog/mixed-signal semiconductor applications, is making interoperable process design kits (iPDKs) available for its most popular foundry processes ranging from 0.6 to 0.13 micrometers.

The IPL Alliance, which includes major electronic design automation (EDA), semiconductor and foundry companies, released the industry’s first open standard for iPDKs for analog/mixed-signal designs in 2010. The iPDK standard is based on the OpenAccess database and uses standard languages and a unified architecture to enable interoperability among all EDA vendor tools. Engineering teams only need to develop a single PDK for each process node, which reduces development costs, shortens design cycles and provides designers with earlier access to advanced process technologies across multiple tools.

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); Lubbock, Texas (US); and Kuching, Sarawak (Malaysia); and employs approximately 2,400 people worldwide. Wafers are manufactured based on advanced modular CMOS and BiCMOS processes with technologies ranging from 1.0 to 0.13 micrometers, for applications primarily in the automotive, communications, consumer and industrial sectors.

“We are committed to helping our customers make their analog/mixed-signal designs more robust and get to market faster," said Thomas Ramsch, director of design support at X-FAB. “Therefore, after extensive evaluation, we decided to join the IPL Alliance, adopt the iPDK standard and provide our customers with X-FAB iPDKs. We believe the standardization of PDKs can significantly lower the cost and reduce the effort for analog IP migration. By next month, X-FAB will be able to deliver iPDKs, for all supported EDA tools that work with the OpenAccess database, four times faster than before.”

“iPDKs are proven and provide semiconductor foundries significant benefits such as reducing PDK development and validation time, lowering support and distribution costs and enabling advanced design flows and multiple EDA tool support,” said Jingwen Yuan, president of the IPL Alliance and strategic alliance manager at Synopsys. “We are happy to add leading analog/mixed signal foundry X-FAB to our growing number of foundry members.”
About the IPL Alliance
The IPL Alliance is an industry standards organization established to develop an interoperable ecosystem for custom design by creating and promoting interoperable PDK standards. There are currently 30 semiconductor and EDA company members. For more information, please visit the IPL Alliance web site at http://www.IPLnow.com or contact info@iplnow.com

X-FAB Extends High-Temperature Capability to 0.18 Micrometer Platform for Unique Combination of High Voltage, High Temperature and NVM Features

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 09:00:00 +0100

XH018 HT extension adds more than a dozen new primitive devices with enhanced performance and enables new applications Responding to its customers’ needs for applications with high-temperature requirements, X-FAB Silicon Foundries today announced XH018 HT – a new module that adds high-temperature capability to its XH018 technology family. It offers the industry’s first and only 0.18 micrometer platform with high temperature (HT), high voltage (HV) and non-volatile memory (NVM) capability. X-FAB also added 13 new primitive devices with this extension, including multiple HV transistors with enhanced Ron performance, symmetrical HV transistors and new electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection structures.

The high-temperature extension and its new devices are ideal for use in automotive applications such as control devices inside combustion engine compartments or electric engine housings. They are well suited for automotive applications with operating voltages up to 45V. The flexible combination with other existing process features also provides a unique offering for motor control and power management or power-conversion applications for a wide range of voltages in industrial, medical and consumer systems.

The XH018 high-temperature process module extends the operation temperature range of the integrated circuits (ICs) to +175°C and requires no additional mask layers, making it very cost-efficient. The added primitive devices include 10V and 20V transistors and symmetrical high-voltage transistors that enable designers to facilitate their designs and product development. An 18V Schottky diode that can be used for charge pumps and as an ESD protection device to prevent electrostatic discharge complements the new HV transistors.

X-FAB’s CTO Jens Kosch explained the importance of today’s announcement for the industry, saying, “High-temperature operating conditions can wreak havoc on the ability of devices to function reliably. However, with the XH018 HT extension we enable our customers to develop new products in new application areas even under those extreme conditions. The robust architecture of the process and the extensive characterization and modeling we applied to provide such new devices ensure they will function properly, with an extended lifetime and less degradation. In addition, because more and more applications also require reliable integration of non-volatile memory function, we developed a solution for how our NVM IP blocks can be used in these extended operating conditions. Our resulting embedded Flash, NVRAM and TrimOTP blocks for high-temperature use will add even more flexibility and reliability for our customers’ products.”

Extensive Design Support
X-FAB offers substantial design support for the new XH018 HT module. An updated process design kit (PDK) is available for download from X-FAB's online technical database, X-TIC. Full model documentation is available and adheres to the GSA modeling description standard. Full PDK support includes primitive device libraries for Cadence 6.1 and accurate device models for major SPICE simulation tools. In addition to ESD protection, latch-up guidelines are available to help prevent short circuits that can occur in marginally designed circuits. X-FAB also provides process reliability specifications through X-TIC, including Safe Operating Area (SOA) specifications and information about device degradation.

Availability
The XH018 HT extension is available now for tape-ins; customers can start their designs and submit their prototypes for production. The unique combination of embedded Flash IP blocks, TrimOTP, and NVRAM compiler and high-temperature capability up to 175 degrees will become available next quarter. Customers have the choice of using X-FAB’s ready-to-use blocks or their own memory design. X-FAB’s lifetime calculator tool also will be available for the new extension next quarter.

X-FAB Uses Silicon Frontline’s Post-Layout Extraction Software to Enhance its Advanced Mixed-Signal Process Design Kit

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:30:00 +0100

Use of SFT’s R3D software for XH018 process design kit improves high-voltage and driver characteristics of mixed-signal SOC designs

Campbell, Calif.– February 2, 2012 – Silicon Frontline Technology, Inc. (SFT), an Electronic Design Automation (EDA) company in the post-layout verification market, announced today that X-FAB Silicon Foundries has used SFT’s R3D (Resistive 3D) software for X-FAB’s 0.18 micrometer high-voltage process (XH018), providing improvements in reliability and efficiency. X-FAB is the world's leading foundry group for More-than-Moore semiconductor applications.

X-FAB’s XH018 modular mixed-signal CMOS technology can be integrated with high-voltage (HV) and non-volatile memory (NVM) modules, making it ideal for SOC applications in the automotive market and embedded NVM applications in the communications, consumer and industrial markets. R3D is used for extraction and analysis of power devices. The combination of SFT’s R3D software and X-FAB’s 0.18 micrometer process supports advanced electronic designs targeting mixed-signal applications with HV and NVM modules.

“Our customers are seeking ways to design more reliable and efficient SOCs for their automotive, power management and NVM embedded applications,” stated Thomas Ramsch, Director Design Support at X-FAB. “After extensive evaluations, we decided to start using Silicon Frontline’s R3D software for our XH018 process. R3D enhances our customers’ SOC design quality and time to market with its powerful analysis and visualization of current density, potential distribution and IR drop. Therefore, we will offer XH018 Pcells for driver integration as part of our PDK by early March, giving customers a way to check their layout, optimize Rdson and do reliability checks.”

X-FAB manufactures wafers for automotive, industrial, consumer, medical, and other applications on modular CMOS and BiCMOS processes in geometries ranging from 1.0 to 0.13 micrometers, and offers special BCD, SOI and MEMS long-lifetime processes. It is recognized for solid, specialized expertise in advanced analog and mixed-signal process technologies, and maintains a high level of responsiveness, service and technical support for its customers.

“We are proud to add X-FAB to the list of the leading foundries that have qualified our 3D post-layout software for their advanced mixed-signal processes,” said Yuri Feinberg, SFT CEO. “We believe that our R3D’s analysis software is ideal for improving X-FAB’s customers’ design efficiency and reliability.”

About R3D
Silicon Frontline’s R3D combines 3D extraction with a new analysis engine to handle the accuracy and capacity requirements with a fast turnaround. To date, R3D has been adopted by more than 20 customers and applied to MOS, DMOS, LDMOS, vertical DMOS, waffle-style and GaN HEMT designs.

About Silicon Frontline
Silicon Frontline Technology, Inc. provides post-layout verification software that is Guaranteed Accurate and works with existing design flows from major EDA vendors. Using new 3D technology, the company’s software products improve silicon quality for standard and advanced nanometer processes. For more information please visit www.siliconfrontline.com. For sales or general assistance, please email info@SiliconFrontline.com.

All trademarks and tradenames are the property of their respective holders.

X-FAB Extends 0.18 Micrometer Technology Platform to Address Energy Efficiency Applications

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 09:00:00 +0100

New 60V capability in combination with eFlash enables new generation of power management applications for smart power control SoCs

X-FAB Silicon Foundries today announced the new technology platform XP018, its latest foundry process with the industry’s lowest mask count for the modular combination of digital, analog and high-voltage features with embedded Flash. This unique foundry offering for energy-efficient applications is the first to allow system-on-chip (SoC) integration requiring up to 60V operating voltage and 5V power supply to be combined with embedded non-volatile memory (NVM). It enables a new generation of reliable and efficient power management, digital control and other power control SoC applications.

The new XP018 process platform comes with operating voltages ranging from 5V to 60V, and an industry-competitive RDSon to enable small chip sizes and lower costs. Its unique combination of high voltage and embedded non-volatile memory requires fewer than 30 masks – the lowest mask count in the foundry industry for these features. The process is also well suited for automotive applications.

X-FAB’s CEO Rudi De Winter said, “The industry is very engaged in developing energy-efficient chips and systems. We developed the XP018 technology to address what our customers need – a cost-effective way to design smart systems-on-chip that combine the 60V capability with Flash-based embedded microcontrollers for the next generation of power management applications.”

The process topology comes with a wide range of NVM options including poly fuse, OTP, EEPROM and Flash, all of which will be available in 2012 for fully qualified PDK support.

Availability
The XP018 technology is available now for tape-ins, including pre-released IP for the memory options. Full qualification will follow in 2012.

CEITEC S.A. Announces Volume Production of the Chip do Boi Device

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 09:00:00 +0200

RFID Device becomes Brazils First Homegrown Chip to Reach Mass Manufacturing at X-FAB

PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil – October 18, 2011: CEITEC S.A., a Brazilian company that develops and produces application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) today announced that it has reached volume production for the first semiconductor device designed in-house. The device announced is being manufactured at X-FAB Semiconductor Foundries in Germany. Today’s announcement marks a major milestone in the country’s effort to develop a domestic microelectronics industry.

CEITEC’s Chip do Boi is an advanced LF-RFID device designed for use in Brazil’s cattle industry as part of a leading-edge system to track livestock. Forecasted domestic demand for the chip is as high as 1.5 million units for 2012 with an expected minimum growth rate of 10 percent a year over the next decade. Chip do Boi is the first chip designed in Brazil by Brazilian engineers in a company that was homegrown and home funded to reach volume production at a world-class semiconductor manufacturing facility. CEITEC has been guiding the efforts to foster industry advances in electronics since 2008.

“Today’s volume manufacturing milestone means that chips designed in Brazil will soon hit the market, but more importantly, it signifies the country’s ability to produce world-class technology and lays the foundation for a growing, sustainable industry,” said Dr. Cylon Gonçalves da Silva, President of CEITEC. “This is an extraordinary achievement both scientifically and commercially and we are happy to have X-FAB Semiconductor Foundries as our manufacturing partner.”

X-FAB is one of the world's leading manufacturers for analog/mixed-signal semiconductor applications. The company has been chosen by CEITEC to produce the Chip do Boi design at its wafer fab in order to serve the market in Brazil and around the world, because X-FAB’s 0.6 micrometer CMOS technology is the same that will soon be available in CEITEC’s own manufacturing facility.

Thomas Hartung, VP Marketing at X-FAB remarked: “With the announcement of the Chip do Boi CEITEC has demonstrated its excellent capabilities to successfully launch products into the Brazilian market using a global supply chain. We are proud to be a long-term partner of CEITEC and to do business with a center for IC development and manufacturing in Brazil. We are looking forward to further intensify our relationship in the future in the field of know-how transfer as well as in manufacturing of high-performance mixed-signal ICs. X-FAB believes that this collaboration and the dynamic growth of the strong Brazilian economy will be the base of our mutual success.”

CEITEC licensed X-FAB’s advanced 0.6 micrometer process technology called XC06, enabling CEITEC to establish the first commercial CMOS semiconductor front-end manufacturing operation in Brazil. On the other hand, X-FAB is able to increase its presence in the emerging and fast-growing Latin American electronics market, with other technology nodes.

Chip do Boi is only the first RFID chip designed by CEITEC SA to go into volume production. The company has announced that two more RFID chips are undergoing performance tests and will go into volume production in 2012.

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About CEITEC
CEITEC S.A. is a Brazilian company focused on the development and production of application-specific standard products (ASSPs) for the RFID, wireless communications and digital multimedia markets. The company’s design center, located in Porto Alegre, develops chips that will play a strategic role in Brazil’s microelectronics industry. The company’s adjoining foundry, now in the final stages of assembly and certification, is the first and only facility of its kind in Latin America that is capable of producing advanced types of ICs in commercial scale. CEITEC S.A.'s mission is to position Brazil as a global player in advanced microelectronics.

X-FAB and Senodia Bring MEMS Gyroscopes to China

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 09:00:00 +0200

Senodia selects X-FAB as MEMS foundry for high-volume production of single- and 3-axis gyroscopes ERFURT, Germany and Shanghai, China; October 13, 2011 – X-FAB Silicon Foundries Group and Senodia Technologies (Shanghai) Co., Ltd today announced they have concluded development and are ramping production of microelectromechanical system (MEMS) gyroscopes for high-volume consumer applications. X-FAB will serve as the front-end manufacturing partner, leveraging its open-platform inertial sensor process. Senodia will use sensor devices manufactured by X-FAB to produce single-axis and 3-axis gyroscopes. X-FAB, a leading pure-play MEMS foundry, offers a range of qualified open-platform MEMS process technologies covered by comprehensive design support. Senodia is the first commercial MEMS supplier to design and package gyroscopes in China. It recently raised its production capacity to more than 2.5 million MEMS gyroscope chips per month.

Single-axis MEMS gyroscopes can detect movement on one axis of rotation – yaw, pitch or roll – and more complex 3-axis gyroscopes can detect movement in all three. These gyroscopes are ideal for many high-volume applications such as mobile phones, tablet PCs, camcorders, gaming controllers, remote controls, digital cameras, electronic toys, and automotive and medical devices.

Bo Zou, Chairman/CEO of Senodia said, “We chose to work with X-FAB because of its high-performance process technology that enables us to develop products very rapidly and cost-effectively for the market place. X-FAB’s open platform inertial sensor process was immediately available and ready to use for realizing our designs. With X-FAB’s experience as a high-volume MEMS foundry, and our expertise and commitment to help customers develop their MEMS gyroscope applications, we believe Senodia is at the forefront of serving the world’s ever-increasing market demand for MEMS gyroscopes in consumer electronics.”

X-FAB has provided a MEMS foundry service for more than 10 years and considers inertial MEMS a cornerstone for the company’s MEMS growth. X-FAB CEO Rudi De Winter said, “Our goal is to provide fast and easy foundry access for our customers to develop and manufacture first-time-right products. We are very pleased to work with Senodia, which has turned the inertial MEMS technology platform in record time into a gyro product that meets market needs.”

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About Senodia
Senodia Technologies (Shanghai) Co., Ltd is the first commercial MEMS Gyroscope sensor supplier in China, founded in August, 2008. Its headquarters is in ZhangJinag Hi-Tech Park Shanghai, China. Senodia has the leading-edge MEMS process and integration technology with its own intellectual property (IP). Senodia focuses on designing and manufacturing low-cost, low-power, high performance/price ratio and small-sized MEMS Gyroscope chip for the consumer electronics and automotive markets. Senodia is also committed to provide customers with total solutions and best services.

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); Lubbock, Texas (US); and Kuching, Sarawak (Malaysia); and employs approximately 2,400 people worldwide. Wafers are manufactured based on advanced modular CMOS and BiCMOS processes with technologies ranging from 1.0 to 0.13 micrometers, for applications primarily in the automotive, communications, consumer and industrial sectors. For more information, please visit www.xfab.com.

X-FAB Qualifies Cadence Physical Verification System for All Process Nodes

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 09:00:00 +0200

Customers of Leading Mixed-Signal Foundry Group Reap Benefits of In-Design Physical Verification Integrated with Cadence Encounter and Virtuoso Technologies SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 5, 2011—Cadence Design Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CDNS), a leader in global electronic design innovation, today announced that X-FAB, a leading foundry group for analog/mixed-signal semiconductor applications, has qualified the Cadence® Physical Verification System for the majority of its process technologies. Foundry qualification means that X-FAB has given its stamp of approval for silicon accuracy of the Cadence Physical Verification System across all of its process nodes, and that mixed-signal customers can reap new performance and productivity advantages enabled by its tight integration into the Cadence Virtuoso® and Encounter® flows.

“Creating an advanced mixed-signal SoC presents significant challenges,” said Dr. Jens Kosch, chief technology officer at X-FAB. “Our customers welcome any opportunity to streamline the development process, so we were pleased to qualify and endorse the Cadence Physical Verification System for our process technologies at X-FAB.”

The Cadence Physical Verification System delivers in-design and final signoff design rule checking (DRC) and layout versus schematic (LVS) verification at transistor, cell, block, and full-chip/SoC levels. It integrates with industry-standard end-to-end digital and custom/analog flows, enabling more efficient Silicon Realization methodologies.

“Design teams prefer to stay within the same environment for design, implementation, and verification to shorten turnaround time and ensure design quality. This qualification means X-FAB customers can confidently conduct all required physical verification using the Cadence Physical Verification System, remaining in the design and implementation cockpit to improve productivity,” said John Murphy, group director, alliances marketing at Cadence. “We worked closely with X-FAB to address all its stringent verification qualification requirements, meeting and exceeding all sign-off parameters. This type of deep collaboration with leading foundries is an essential element of the EDA360 vision.”

By tightly integrating design rule checking into the Cadence implementation technologies, design teams will be able to validate against signoff DRC validation as they edit, allowing them to find and fix errors earlier in their flow while saving them time in longer loops through standalone signoff solutions. The result is faster time to tapeout. Cadence and X-FAB continue to work closely together to provide validated signoff verification decks for their mixed-signal customers.

About Cadence
Cadence enables global electronic design innovation and plays an essential role in the creation of today's integrated circuits and electronics. Customers use Cadence software, hardware, IP, and services to design and verify advanced semiconductors, consumer electronics, networking and telecommunications equipment, and computer systems. The company is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., with sales offices, design centers, and research facilities around the world to serve the global electronics industry. More information about the company, its products, and services is available at www.cadence.com.

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^{Cadence, Virtuoso, Encounter and the Cadence logo are registered trademarks of Cadence Design Systems, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.}

X-FAB Extends High-Temperature Foundry Offering to Enable Emerging Power Management Applications

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 09:00:00 +0200

XA035 becomes the first process to support combination of 100V operating voltages and 175 degrees Celsius operating temperature, enabling new-generation ICs for hybrid and electric cars Addressing its customer needs, X-FAB Silicon Foundries today announced its enhanced XA035 high-temperature 0.35 micrometer foundry process with 28 new devices. It is the industry’s first fully characterized process to simultaneously support operating voltages up to 100V and operating temperatures of 175 degrees Celsius. This unique combination enables the design and manufacture of new-generation integrated circuits (ICs) that require highly efficient power management for harsh environments. It is ideally suited for charge balancing applications such as in batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles. The extended temperature range also makes it applicable for control devices inside the combustion or electric engine housing. The technology can be used for motor control and power management or power conversion applications for a wide range of voltages in industrial, medical or consumer systems.

All devices in the XA035 process will be delivered in line with the quality standard defined by the Automotive Electronics Council (AEC) AEC-Q100. A 45 percent reduction in on-resistance of the new N-type and P-type DMOS transistors reduces overall system costs. The XA035 process design kit covers all major electronic design automation (EDA) platforms and includes exact models for all high-voltage transistors. It features a variety of dense standard cell libraries, each optimized for area, speed, low power or low noise. I/O libraries, including support for electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection devices, complete the comprehensive design support.

According to Sebastian Schmidt, Business Line Manager of Analog/High-Voltage at X-FAB, “Our customers need a foundry process that meets the extreme high-temperature and high-voltage conditions found in charge balancing and other automotive devices. For these applications, robustness, high reliability and long lifetime are critical.”

Added to the technology are 28 new fully characterized devices, including 13 high-voltage devices with reduced Ron, bipolar devices, and OTP programming capability. An additional 5V gate oxide option covers operating voltages of 5V, 45V, 70V and 100V and provides a good match for power management and automotive applications. All of the devices are precisely modelled and documented with detailed model guide descriptions. The support package includes a reliability lifetime calculator tool that predicts the lifetime vs. temperature trade-off for a given mission profile in temperature and operating conditions. In addition, the XA035 technology includes a new library providing components for electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection, meeting the constantly increasing ESD requirements.

Availability
The XA035 technology for high-temperature applications with its new primitive devices and additional options is available now for tape-ins.