GLOBALFOUNDRIES enters into broad strategic partnership with Imec

LEUVEN, BELGIUM: GLOBALFOUNDRIES, one of the world’s leading semiconductor foundries, has signed a strategic long-term partnership on sub-22nm CMOS scaling and GaN-on-Si technology with the nanoelectronics R&D center imec.

GLOBALFOUNDRIES becomes a full imec core CMOS partner. Imec’s sub-22nm core CMOS program aims at developing processes that can be used in high-volume manufacturing of future logic and memory ICs. The program encompasses material and device studies, tool and process step exploration, integration options and advanced characterization towards process technology platforms for the next generation of ICs, as well as exploring and developing the options for further generations.

The company will also closely collaborate on EUV lithography, device technology for logic and memory, nano-interconnects and 3D integration together with other leading integrated device manufacturers (IDMs), foundries, fabless and fablite companies, equipment and material suppliers who are part of the imec research ecosystem.

GLOBALFOUNDRIES also joins the imec GaN research program, which aims at high-performance, cost-effective GaN devices on silicon. This program brings together leading IDMs, foundries, compound semiconductor companies, equipment suppliers and substrate suppliers to develop 8-inch GaN technology on silicon.

“Partnering with GLOBALFOUNDRIES is very important for imec and our partners since it strengthens our collaboration with foundries and thus also the ecosystem we offer in our programs to IDMs and the fabless and fablite community,” said Luc Van den hove, President and CEO of imec. “We expect this partnership to give a further boost to our research programs over the coming years.”

“GLOBALFOUNDRIES has long embraced a collaborative approach to R&D innovation based on a model of shared objectives and shared investments with partners around the world,” said David Bennett, vice president of alliances at GLOBALFOUNDRIES. “The mission and capabilities of imec are highly complementary to our current collaborative R&D approach and will add another important dimension to our technology pipeline.”