austriamicrosystems releases 0.18µm High-Voltage CMOS process for volume production

UNTERPREMSTAETTEN, AUSTRIA: austriamicrosystems announced the conditional release for volume production of its advanced 0.18µm High-Voltage CMOS process technology "H18” which will be manufactured in IBM’s 200mm Burlington wafer facility. Jointly developed with IBM, the 0.18µm High-Voltage CMOS process is the 6th generation of continuously improved High-Voltage CMOS technologies developed at austriamicrosystems.

Featuring a new level of RF and HV integration capability on a single IC, the new 0.18µm High-Voltage CMOS process offers the highest integration density, up to 118k gates/mm², enabling SoC applications (System-on-Chip) as well as best-in-class power-on resistance (Rdson) which directly results in a silicon area reduction. The integration capabilities of H18 enable design houses and IDMs to create new applications in areas such as smart sensors, sensor interface devices, smart meters, industrial and building controls and LED lighting control. H18 is uniquely positioned to create the next generation of smarter interconnected devices.

Only a few mask level adders are required on top of the fully compatible CMOS base process to implement high-voltage capabilities, making the H18 process one of the most cost competitive 0.18µm High-Voltage CMOS technologies in the market. The process allows the integration of 1.8V, 5V, 20V and 50V devices on a single chip without any process modifications. Process features such as Schottky barrier diode, high-resistive and precision poly, single- and dual metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitors, varactors and up to 7 metal layers including thick last metal complete the state-of-the art High-Voltage CMOS process.

“We are very pleased to have jointly developed an industry-benchmark 0.18µm High-Voltage CMOS process with IBM where austriamicrosystems enabled the technology with its leading high-voltage expertise. The process technology is finding tremendous interest in the market for allowing modular SoC designs integrating analog high-voltage blocks with RF CMOS, extended digital functions and micro-controllers,” states Thomas Riener, senior VP and GM of austriamicrosystems' Full Service Foundry business unit. “The H18 technology is now ramping in a broad range of smart green applications such as power management and LED driver applications.”

“The combination of austriamicrosystems’ leadership in high voltage and IBM’s high density RF CMOS heritage has created unique value with the H18 process”, said Regina Darmoni, Director of Specialty Foundry at IBM Microelectronics. “H18 represents a new paradigm of semiconductor integration, enabling smarter and more cost-effective “endpoint” devices as part of the “Internet of Things”. Photovoltaics, Smart Sensors, Smart Meters and LED drivers are just some of the Smarter Planet applications which will benefit. We look forward to our continued collaboration with austriamicrosystems in this expanding market.”