Bond Meister MWB-12-ST 300mm Wafer Bonding Machine Produces 3D LSI Circuits at Room Temperature
The Bond Meister MWB-12-ST, from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd (MHI), is the world’s first fully automated 12-inch (300 millimeters) wafer bonding machine that can produce 3-dimensionally integrated LSI (large-scale integration) circuits at room temperature. The wafer bonding machine is able to undertake continuous bonding of up to five 12-inch wafers and can perform wafer transfer and alignment for automatic bonding. The HI system is also capable of preliminarily setting the bonding conditions for each wafer individually, to accommodate production of various types in small lots.
X-FAB XP018 Technology Platform
X-FAB Silicon Foundries introduced their XP018 technology platform. The foundry process features the industry’s lowest mask count for the modular combination of digital, analog and high-voltage features with embedded Flash. The X-FAB XP018 technology is available now for tape-ins. It includes pre-released IP for the memory options. Full qualification will follow in 2012.
First-Pass Silicon Success: Synopsys DesignWare 96 dB Hi-Fi Audio IP
Synopsys’ DesignWare 96 dB Hi-Fi Audio IP has achieved first-pass silicon success in 65-nanometer (nm) and 55-nm process technologies for multiple foundries. The silicon-proven audio IP is ideal for consumer electronic system-on-chip (SoC) applications such as portable media players, smart phones, CD/DVD/ Blu-Ray Disc players/recorders, digital TV and digital cameras. The Synopsys DesignWare 96 dB Hi-Fi Audio IP in 65-nm and 55-nm processes is available now for multiple foundries.
D2S TrueMask DS Mask Wafer Double Simulation Accelerated Workstation
D2S launched the TrueMask DS mask-wafer double simulation accelerated workstation. It can help mask shops and wafer fabs with qualifying and optimizing 20nm node and below designs. TrueMask is ideal for R&D exploration, bit-cell design, hot-spot analysis and mask-defect categorization that comprehends overlapping eBeam shots and dose modulation. D2S TrueMask DS is available now.
X-FAB Silicon Foundries Extends High Temperature XA035 Foundry Process
X-FAB Silicon Foundries has added 28 new devices to their enhanced XA035 high-temperature 0.35 micrometer foundry process. The XA035 technology for high-temperature applications with its new primitive devices and additional options is available now for tape-ins. The process is ideal for charge balancing applications such as in batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles. The extended temperature range also makes it ideal 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.
HHNEC-Synopsys 130nm Reference Flow 3.0
Synopsys and Shanghai Hua Hong NEC Electronics Company teamed on a 130-nanomter (nm) reference flow. The HHNEC-Synopsys Reference Flow 3.0 features the Synopsys Eclypse Low Power Solution. The reference design flow is available now from HHNEC. With the latest foundry flow, designers can leverage Synopsys’s strength in low power design and HHNEC’s manufacturing expertise.
Itera 40nm Embedded Multi-Time Programmable Non-Volatile Memory
Kilopass Technology introduced their Itera embedded multi-time programmable (MTP) NVM 40nm solution. Itera replaces external serial EEPROM and NOR flash in high-volume mobile and consumer applications. Itera reduces costs (70% less), increases performance (24X increase), and improves integration. The pricing of Itera is based on percentage of cost savings over external EEPROM and NOR Flash solutions. There are two pricing components: (1) license fee for use of Itera in a design and (2) a per wafer royalty. Itera is available in MTP capacity from 32 bit to 1Mb. It is now available at foundries like TSMC, GLOBALFOUNDRIES, and UMC in 40nm bulk silicon with 65nm and 55nm in H2’11.
Intel’s and Micro’s 20nm Multi-level Cell NAND Flash Memory
IM Flash Technologies (IMFT) will manufacture a new 20nm 8-gigabyte multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash device. IMFT is a NAND flash joint venture of Intel and Micron Technology. The 20-nanometer 8GB device is sampling now. It will enter mass production in the second half of this year. Also later this year, Intel and Micron will start sampling a 16GB device. As a result, up to 128GBs of capacity can be packed into a single solid-state storage solution that will be smaller than a U.S. postage stamp.
X-FAB Silicon Foundries Announces Ready-to-Use Hall Sensor
X-FAB Silicon Foundries, the leading analog/mixed-signal foundry and expert in “More than Moore” technologies, became the first pure-play foundry to deliver integrated Hall effect functionality as a fully characterized, documented and ready-to-use Hall sensor device. Implemented in X-FAB’s 0.18 micrometer high-voltage process technology (XH018), the new low-power, highly sensitive magnetic field sensor device is a perfect fit for battery-powered applications. It allows engineers to change the system architecture of the entire sensing application into a more cost-effective single-chip solution that requires no further layout work, additional chip testing, measurements or optimization. X-FAB also is delivering a design kit add-on that provides everything designers need to successfully integrate this device with the rest of the circuitry on the chip.
International SEMATECH Announced Mature Fabs Program
To improve manufacturing productivity, cost and cycle time for a targeted segment of manufacturers in the semiconductor industry, International SEMATECH Manufacturing Initiative (ISMI), announced that it has launched a new Mature Fabs program. ISMI’s Mature Fabs program will be dedicated to addressing the challenges faced by semiconductor companies with mature fabs, including cost and productivity pressures, equipment lifecycle management, safety procedures, and logistics. As a part of the new program, members will share key strategies to address common equipment and factory processing issues.
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