Synopsys and GLOBALFOUNDRIES Collaborate to Develop Industry’s First Automotive Grade 1 IP for 22FDX Process February 22, 2019Synopsys’ Portfolio of DesignWare Foundation, Analog, and Interface IP Accelerate ISO 26262 Qualification for ADAS, Powertrain, 5G, and Radar Automotive SoCs MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., and SANTA CLARA, Calif., Feb. 21, 2019 – Highlights Synopsys DesignWare IP for automotive Grade 1 and Grade 2 temperature operation on GLOBALFOUNDRIES 22FDX® process includes Logic Libraries, Embedded Memories, Data Converters, LPDDR4, PCI Express 3.1, USB 2.0/3.1, and MIPI D-PHY IP Synopsys’ IP solutions implement additional automotive-grade design rules for the 22FDX process to meet reliability and 15-year automotive operation requirements Synopsys’ IP that supports AEC-Q100 temperature grades and ISO 26262 ASIL Readiness accelerates SoC reliability and functional safety assessments Join Synopsys and GLOBALFOUNDRIES at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain on Feb. 25 for a panel on “Intelligent Connectivity for a Data-Driven Future” Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq:SNPS) and GLOBALFOUNDRIES (GF) today announced a collaboration to develop a portfolio of automotive Grade 1 temperature (-40C to +150C junction) DesignWare® Foundation, Analog, and Interface IP for the GF 22-nm Fully-Depleted Silicon-On-Insulator (22FDX®) process. By providing IP that is designed for high temperature operation on 22FDX, Synopsys enables designers to reduce their design effort and accelerate AEC-Q100 qualification of system-on-chips (SoCs) for automotive applications such as eMobility, 5G connectivity, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), and infotainment. The Synopsys DesignWare IP implements additional automotive design rules for the GF 22FDX process to meet stringent reliability and operation requirements. This latest collaboration complements Synopsys’ broad portfolio of automotive-grade IP that provides ISO 26262 ASIL B Ready or ASIL D Ready certification, AEC-Q100 testing, and quality management. “Arbe’s ultra-high-resolution radar is leveraging this cutting edge technology that enabled us to create a unique radar solution and provide the missing link for autonomous vehicles and safe driver assistance,” said Avi Bauer, vice president of R&D at Arbe. “We need to work with leading companies who can support our technology innovation. GF’s 22FDX technology, with Synopsys automotive-grade DesignWare IP, will help us meet automotive reliability and operation requirements and is critical to our success.” “GF’s close, collaborative relationships with leading automotive suppliers and ecosystem partners such as Synopsys have enabled advanced process technology solutions for a broad range of driving system applications,” said Mark Ireland, vice president of ecosystem partnerships at GF. “The combination of our 22FDX process with Synopsys’ DesignWare IP enables our mutual customers to speed the development and certification of their automotive SoCs, while meeting their performance, power, and area targets.” “Synopsys’ extensive investment in developing automotive-qualified IP for advanced processes, such as GF’s 22FDX, helps designers accelerate their SoC-level qualifications for functional safety, reliability, and automotive quality,” said John Koeter, vice president of marketing for IP at Synopsys. “Our close collaboration with GF mitigates risks for designers integrating DesignWare Foundation, Analog, and Interface IP into low-power, high-performance automotive SoCs on the 22FDX process.” GLOBALFOUNDRIES & Synopsys at Mobile World Congress 2019 On February 25, 2019, Synopsys will join the GLOBALFOUNDRIES NEXTech Lab Theater Session at MWC19. A panel discussion, with leading industry experts, including Joachim Kunkel, general manager of the Solutions Group at Synopsys, and Mike Cadigan, senior vice president of global sales, business development, customer and design engineering at GF, will offer insights about the importance of intelligent connectivity, the growth, demands, and innovations it is poised to bring, and its impacts across the semiconductor value chain. For more information, visit: https://www.globalfoundries.com/join-gf-mwc19. Resources For more information on Synopsys DesignWare IP for automotive Grade 1 temperature operation on GF’s 22FDX process: Foundation IP: Logic Libraries, Embedded Memories, One-Time Programmable Non-Volatile Memories (OTP NVM), and Embedded Test and Repair Data Converters LPDDR4 PCI Express 3.1 USB 2.0/3.1 MIPI About GLOBALFOUNDRIES GLOBALFOUNDRIES (GF) is a leading full-service foundry delivering truly differentiated semiconductor technologies for a range of high-growth markets. GF provides a unique combination of design, development, and fabrication services, with a range of innovative IP and feature-rich offerings including FinFET, FDX™, RF and analog/mixed signal. With a manufacturing footprint spanning three continents, GF has the flexibility and agility to meet the dynamic needs of clients across the globe. GF is owned by Mubadala Investment Company. For more information, visit www.globalfoundries.com. About Synopsys DesignWare IP Synopsys is a leading provider of high-quality, silicon-proven IP solutions for SoC designs. The broad Synopsys DesignWare IP portfolio includes logic libraries, embedded memories, embedded test, analog IP, wired and wireless interface IP, security IP, embedded processors, and subsystems. To accelerate prototyping, software development and integration of IP into SoCs, Synopsys’ IP Accelerated initiative offers IP prototyping kits, IP software development kits and IP subsystems. Synopsys’ extensive investment in IP quality, comprehensive technical support and robust IP development methodology enables designers to reduce integration risk and accelerate time-to-market. For more information on Synopsys DesignWare IP, visit https://www.synopsys.com/designware About Synopsys Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNPS) is the Silicon to Software™ partner for innovative companies developing the electronic products and software applications we rely on every day. As the world’s 15th largest software company, Synopsys has a long history of being a global leader in electronic design automation (EDA) and semiconductor IP and is also growing its leadership in software security and quality solutions. Whether you’re a system-on-chip (SoC) designer creating advanced semiconductors, or a software developer writing applications that require the highest security and quality, Synopsys has the solutions needed to deliver innovative, high-quality, secure products. Learn more at www.synopsys.com Editorial Contacts: Norma SengstockSynopsys, Inc.650-584-2890[email protected] Erica McGillGLOBALFOUNDRIES518-795-5240[email protected]
Xpeedic’s IRIS Qualified on GLOBALFOUNDRIES 12LP Process for High-Performance Applications February 21, 2019Xpeedic Technology, Inc. today announced that its 3D full-wave electromagnetic (EM) simulation tool, IRIS, has been qualified on GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ 12nm Leading-Performance (12LP) process technology. This qualification enables designers to run IRIS with confidence using the certified IRIS process file available on GF’s 12LP FinFET semiconductor manufacturing process.
Xpeedic’s IRIS Qualified on GLOBALFOUNDRIES 12LP Process for High-Performance Applications February 21, 2019Xpeedic Technology, Inc. today announced that its 3D full-wave electromagnetic (EM) simulation tool, IRIS, has been qualified on GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ 12nm Leading-Performance (12LP) process technology. This qualification enables designers to run IRIS with confidence using the certified IRIS process file available on GF’s 12LP FinFET semiconductor manufacturing process.
GLOBALFOUNDRIES Crosses Billion-Dollar Design Win Threshold with 8SW RF SOI Technology February 21, 2019 Mobile market continues to favor RF SOI, with 8SW proving to be the industry’s leading platform for power-optimized chips Santa Clara, Calif., February 20, 2019 – GLOBALFOUNDRIES today announced that the company’s mobile-optimized 8SW RF SOI technology platform has delivered more than a billion dollars of client design win revenue since its launch in September 2017. With yields and performance exceeding client expectations, 8SW is enabling designers to develop solutions that offer extremely fast downloads, higher quality connections and reliable data connectivity for today’s 4G/LTE Advanced operating frequencies and future sub-6 GHz 5G mobile and wireless communication applications. As the industry’s first 300 mm RF SOI foundry solution, 8SW delivers significant performance, integration and area advantages, with best-in-class low-noise amplifier (LNA) and switch performance which all together improve integration solutions in the front-end module (FEM). The optimized RF FEM platform is tailored to accommodate aggressive LTE and sub-6 GHz standards for FEM applications, including 5G IoT, mobile device and wireless communications. “At Qorvo, we continuously expand upon our industry-leading RF portfolio to support all pre-5G and 5G architectures, as such we require the best available technologies to enable us to deliver top-notch solutions with the broadest range of connectivity in sub-6 GHz and mmWave 5G,” said Todd Gillenwater, Qorvo CTO. “GF’s 8SW technology delivers a mix of performance, integration and area advantages in FEM switches and LNAs, giving us a great platform for our world-class products.” “As new high-speed standards, including 4G LTE and 5G, continue to grow in complexity, innovation in RF Front End radio design must continue to deliver performance commensurate with growing network, data and application demands,” said Bami Bastani, senior vice president of business units at GF. “GF continuously builds on our extensive RF SOI capabilities that are providing our clients a competitive market advantage with first time design success, optimal performance, and the shortest time to market.” According to Mobile Experts, the mobile RF front-end market is estimated to reach $22 billion in 2022, with a CAGR of 8.3 percent. With more than 40 billion RF SOI chips shipped thru 2018, GF is uniquely positioned to deliver an expanding RF portfolio for a broad range of high-growth applications such as automotive, 5G connectivity and the Internet of Things (IoT). “Radio complexity promises to increase for both sub-6 GHz and mmWave, driving tight integration of multiple RF functions,” said Joe Madden, Principal Analyst at Mobile Experts. “The market needs RF solutions with high efficiency and linearity performance, but also using scalable processes on large wafers. GF has established an RF SOI process that will enable longer-term market expansion.” GF combines legacy RF expertise and the industry’s most differentiated RF technology platform spanning advanced and established technology nodes, to help clients develop 5G connectivity solutions for next-generation products. GF will present its 5G-ready RF solutions with industry experts at MWC Barcelona on February 25 at the NEXTech Labs Theater, in the Fira Gran Via Convention Center, in Barcelona Spain. For more information, go to globalfoundries.com. About GLOBALFOUNDRIES GLOBALFOUNDRIES (GF) is a leading full-service foundry delivering truly differentiated semiconductor technologies for a range of high-growth markets. GF provides a unique combination of design, development, and fabrication services, with a range of innovative IP and feature-rich offerings including FinFET, FDX™, RF, and analog/mixed signal. With a manufacturing footprint spanning three continents, GF has the flexibility and agility to meet the dynamic needs of clients across the globe. GF is owned by Mubadala Investment Company. For more information, visit globalfoundries.com. Contact: Erica McGillGLOBALFOUNDRIES(518) 795-5240[email protected]
Rambus and GLOBALFOUNDRIES to Deliver High-Speed SerDes on 22FDX® for Communications and 5G Applications February 20, 2019Rambus Inc., a leading provider of semiconductor and IP products, today announced the availability of 32G Multi-protocol SerDes PHY on GLOBALFOUNDRIES 22nm FD-SOI (22FDX®) platform for high-volume, high-performance applications. Designed to meet the performance requirements of high-speed wireline, wireless 5G infrastructure and data center applications, the SerDes PHY delivers data rates up to 32 Gbps and supports multiple standards including PCIe 4.0, JESD204B/C, CPRI, and Ethernet.
Rambus and GLOBALFOUNDRIES to Deliver High-Speed SerDes on 22FDX® for Communications and 5G Applications February 20, 2019 Rambus Inc. (NASDAQ: RMBS), a leading provider of semiconductor and IP products, today announced the availability of 32G Multi-protocol SerDes PHY on GLOBALFOUNDRIES 22nm FD-SOI (22FDX®) platform for high-volume, high-performance applications. Designed to meet the performance requirements of high-speed wireline, wireless 5G infrastructure and data center applications, the SerDes PHY delivers data rates up to 32 Gbps and supports multiple standards including PCIe 4.0, JESD204B/C, CPRI, and Ethernet.
格芯设计中标逾10亿美元 8SW RF SOI技术功不可没 February 20, 2019移动市场持续青睐RF SOI，同时8SW日益成为业界领先的低功耗芯片平台 加利福尼亚州圣克拉拉，2019年2月20日 – 格芯今天宣布，公司自2017年9月推出针对移动应用优化的8SW RF SOI技术平台以来，客户端设计中标收入已逾10亿美元。8SW的良率与性能均超过客户期望，可帮助设计人员开发解决方案，为当今先进的4G/LTE工作频率和未来6GHz以下的5G移动和无线通信应用提供极快的下载速度、更高质量的互连和更可靠的数据连接。 8SW是业内首款300 mm RF SOI代工解决方案，具有显著的性能、集成度和尺寸优势，以及出色的低噪声放大器(LNA)和开关性能，这些均有助于改进前端模块(FEM)中的集成解决方案。优化的RF FEM平台专为满足前端模块应用更高的LTE和6 GHz以下标准而量身定制，包括5G 物联网、移动设备和无线通信。 Qorvo首席技术官Todd Gillenwater表示：“Qorvo持续扩展业内领先的射频产品组合，以支持所有Pre-5G和5G架构，因此我们需要适当的可行技术，以便为客户提供6 GHz以下及5G毫米波等方面连接范围广泛的出色解决方案。格芯8SW技术使前端模块开关和LNA同时具有性能、集成度和尺寸优势，为我们的优质产品提供了一个很好的平台。” 格芯业务部高级副总裁Bami Bastani表示：“随着包括4G LTE和5G在内的新高速标准复杂程度日益增加，射频前端无线电设计的创新性能必须不断满足日益增长的网络、数据和应用需求。格芯不断增强广泛的RF SOI能力，帮助客户在首次设计成功率、优化性能和缩短上市时间方面获得具有竞争力的市场优势。” Mobile Experts认为，2022年移动射频前端市场估值达到220亿美元，其中CAGR占8.3%。格芯2018年RF SOI芯片出货量超过400亿，在该领域独具优势，可为汽车、5G连接和物联网(IoT)等各种高增长应用提供更广泛的射频产品组合。 Mobile Experts的首席分析师Joe Madden表示：“用于6 GHz以下及毫米波的无线电复杂性将会提高，促使多种射频功能紧密集成。市场需要具备线性性能的射频高效解决方案，同时能够在较大晶圆上使用可扩展工艺。格芯已经拥有成熟的RF SOI工艺，有助于拓展长期市场。” 格芯结合了丰富的射频技术经验和业内极具差异化的射频技术平台，涵盖先进和成熟的技术节点，帮助客户为下一代产品研发5G连接解决方案。 格芯将参加2月25日举办的巴塞罗那全球移动通信大会，与业界专家共聚一堂，展示其支持5G的射频解决方案，地点是西班牙巴塞罗那格兰大道菲拉会议中心NEXTech实验室剧院。如需了解更多信息，请访问globalfoundries.com。 About GLOBALFOUNDRIES GLOBALFOUNDRIES (GF) is a leading full-service foundry delivering truly differentiated semiconductor technologies for a range of high-growth markets.GF provides a unique combination of design, development, and fabrication services, with a range of innovative IP and feature-rich offerings including FinFET, FDX™, RF, and analog mixed signal.With a manufacturing footprint spanning three continents, GF has the flexibility and agility to meet the dynamic needs of clients across the globe.GF is owned by Mubadala Investment Company. For more information, visit globalfoundries.com. Contact: Erica McGill GLOBALFOUNDRIES (518) 795-5240 [email protected]
GLOBALFOUNDRIES and Dolphin Integration to Deliver Differentiated FD-SOI Adaptive Body Bias Solutions for 5G, IoT and Automotive Applications February 20, 2019IP to accelerate energy-efficient SoC designs and push the boundaries of single-chip integration Santa Clara, Calif. and Grenoble, France, February 19, 2019 – GLOBALFOUNDRIES (GF) and Dolphin Integration, a leading provider of semiconductor IP, today announced a collaboration to develop a series of adaptive body bias (ABB) solutions to improve the energy efficiency and reliability of system-on-chip (SoC) on GF’s 22nm FD-SOI (22FDX®) process technology for a wide range of high-growth applications such as 5G, IoT and automotive. As part of the collaboration, Dolphin Integration and GF are working together to develop a series of off-the-shelf ABB solutions for accelerating and easing body bias implementation on SoC designs. ABB is a unique 22FDX feature that enables designers to leverage forward and reverse body bias techniques to dynamically compensate for process, supply voltage, temperature (PVT) variations and aging effects to achieve additional performance, power, area and cost improvements beyond those from scaling alone. The ABB solutions in development consist of self-contained IPs embedding the body bias voltage regulation, PVT and aging monitors and control loop as well as complete design methodologies to fully leverage the benefits of corner tightening. GF’s 22FDX technology offers the industry’s lowest static and dynamic power consumption. With automated transistor body biasing adjustment, Dolphin Integration can achieve up to 7x energy efficiency with power supply as low as 0.4V on 22FDX designs. “We have been working with GF for more than two years on advanced and configurable power management IPs for low power and energy efficient applications,” said Philippe Berger, CEO at Dolphin Integration. “Through our ongoing collaboration with GF, we are focused on creating turnkey IP solutions that allow designers to realize the full benefit of FD-SOI for any SoC design in 22FDX.” “In order to simplify our client designs and shorten their time-to-market, GF and our ecosystem partners are helping to pave the way to future performance standards in 5G, IoT and automotive,” said Mark Ireland, vice president of ecosystem partnerships at GF. “With the support of silicon IP providers like Dolphin Integration, new power, performance and reliability design infrastructures will be available to customers to fully leverage the benefits of GF’s 22FDX technology.” Design kits with turnkey adaptive body bias solutions on GF’s 22FDX will be available starting in Q2 2019. About Dolphin Integration Founded in 1985, Dolphin Integration currently employs 160 employees in their head office located in Meylan, France and operates subsidiaries in Canada and Israel. Dolphin Integration develops semiconductor IPs mainly serving high volume fabless IC companies and offers integrated circuit design services to customers worldwide. Conscious of AI, IoT, mobile and automotive products’ explosive growth and potential environmental impact, Dolphin Integration is committed to accelerating the development of energy-efficient System-on-Chip (SoC) for its customers. Dolphin Integration is the registered tradename of Dolphin Design SAS. To learn more about the company, please visit: www.dolphin-integration.com and follow us on Twitter @Dolphin_Int and LinkedIn Press contact: Aurélie DescombesPhone: +33 480 420 720[email protected] About GF GLOBALFOUNDRIES (GF) is a leading full-service foundry delivering truly differentiated semiconductor technologies for a range of high-growth markets. GF provides a unique combination of design, development, and fabrication services, with a range of innovative IP and feature-rich offerings including FinFET, FDX™, RF, and analog/mixed signal. With a manufacturing footprint spanning three continents, GF has the flexibility and agility to meet the dynamic needs of clients across the globe. GF is owned by Mubadala Investment Company. For more information, visit globalfoundries.com. Contact: Erica McGillGLOBALFOUNDRIES(518) 795-5240[email protected]
格芯和Dolphin Integration推出适用于5G、物联网和汽车级应用的差异化FD-SOI自适应体偏置解决方案 February 19, 2019IP加快节能型SoC设计，推动单芯片集成界限 加利福尼亚州圣克拉拉、法国格勒诺布尔，2019年2月19日 – 格芯(GF)和领先的半导体IP提供商Dolphin Integration今日宣布，双方正在合作研发自适应体偏置(ABB)系列解决方案，提升格芯22nm FD-SOI (22FDX®)工艺技术芯片上系统(SoC)的能效和可靠性，支持5G、物联网和汽车等多种高增长应用。 作为合作事宜的一部分，Dolphin Integration与格芯正在共同研发ABB系列解决方案，加速并简化SoC设计的体偏置实施方案。ABB具备特有的22FDX功能，可以让设计师利用正向及反向体偏置技术，动态地补偿工艺、电源电压、温度(PVT)变化以及老化影响，在扩展之外实现其他性能、功率、面积和成本优势。 研发阶段的ABB解决方案包括独立IP，嵌入体偏置电压调节、PVT、老化监视器和控制环，以及完整的设计方法论，充分利用工艺角紧固优势。格芯的22FDX技术实现了业内最低的静态及动态功耗。借助自动化晶体管体偏置调整，Dolphin Integration在22FDX设计中可实现7倍能效，以及低至0.4V的电源电压。 Dolphin Integration首席执行官Philippe Berger表示：“我们与格芯从事合作已有两年多，针对低功耗和节能应用提供先进的可配置电源管理IP。与格芯的现有合作中，我们的重点是创建统包IP解决方案，帮助设计者在22FDX技术中为所有SoC设计实现完整的FD-SOI优势。” 格芯生态系统合作伙伴关系副总裁Mark Ireland表示：“为了简化我们的客户设计并缩短上市时间，格芯和我们的生态系统合作伙伴正在为树立5G、物联网和汽车的未来性能标准铺平道路。在Dolphin Integration等芯片IP提供商的支持下，客户将获得新的功率、性能和可靠性管理基础设施，充分利用格芯22FDX技术的优势。” 基于格芯22FDX技术的统包自适应体偏置解决方案设计套件将于2019年第2季度推出。 关于Dolphin Integration Dolphin Integration成立于1985年，现拥有160名员工，总部位于法国梅朗，并在加拿大和以色列设有子公司。Dolphin Integration从事半导体IP开发，主要服务于高量产无晶圆厂集成电路公司，并向全球客户提供集成电路设计服务。考虑到人工智能、物联网、移动设备和汽车产品的爆炸性增长以及潜在的环境影响，Dolphin Integration致力于为其客户加快研发节能的系统上芯片(SoC)。Dolphin Integration是Dolphin Design SAS的注册商标名称。 如要了解公司详情，请访问：www.dolphin-integration.com并通过Twitter @Dolphin_Int和LinkedIn关注我们 新闻联系人： Aurélie Descombes 电话：+33 480 420 720 [email protected] About GLOBALFOUNDRIES GLOBALFOUNDRIES (GF) is a leading full-service foundry delivering truly differentiated semiconductor technologies for a range of high-growth markets.GF provides a unique combination of design, development, and fabrication services, with a range of innovative IP and feature-rich offerings including FinFET, FDX™, RF, and analog mixed signal.With a manufacturing footprint spanning three continents, GF has the flexibility and agility to meet the dynamic needs of clients across the globe.GF is owned by Mubadala Investment Company. For more information, visit globalfoundries.com. Contact: Erica McGill GLOBALFOUNDRIES (518) 795-5240 [email protected]
RF SOI Shines for 5G Power Amps February 11, 2019By: Dave Lammers Using GF’s 45RFSOI technology, UCSD Prof. Peter Asbeck recently developed a power amplifier operating at 28 GHz with output power of 22dBm and more than 40 percent power-added efficiency (PAE). When backed off for the 64QAM OFDM signals used in 5G, the amplifier achieves an average output power of 13 dBm at 10 dB backoff, with 17 percent PAE, even without digital predistortion.“This is the right level of power and efficiency for the majority of the 5G 28 GHz applications,” Asbeck said. Power amplifiers (PAs) are a different breed of cat from most other chips, and the PAs needed for the 5G wireless solutions are likely to be much different than those used in today’s 4G smart phones and base stations. Most 5G wireless applications will use phased array antennas to focus and steer multiple beams, and it is this ability to divide the transmission task among multiple beams, which gives 5G the ability to achieve what, to many, seem improbable performance targets. While early 5G systems will use the sub-6 GHz frequency range, the real promise of 5G comes from using bandwidth in the 24, 28, and 39 GHz millimeter-wave ranges. There, phased array antennas, such as a 4×4 array, will be deployed, with each PA operating at much lower power than those needed to amplify the single-beam, omnidirectional signals used now. Peter Asbeck, Professor at USC Ned Cahoon, RF business development director at GF, said in the 4G wireless generation, gallium arsenide (GaAs) has been a leading technology in the power amplifier sector. “We believe we are moving from a sub-6-GHz regime, where gallium arsenide has dominated, to the millimeter-wave market, where most front-end solutions will be in silicon.” Already pervasive in handset switches and antenna tuners, Cahoon said RF SOI technology – in production for over a decade and now extended by GF to 300mm diameter wafers at the 45nm node – is ideal for the integrated front-end devices needed for the millimeter-wave 5G handsets, access points, and base stations. Cahoon bases that belief partly on work being done by several of the key professors working in the power amplifier field, notably Peter Asbeck at the University of California at San Diego (UCSD). Asbeck earned his doctorate at M.I.T., spent 15 years in industry developing high-frequency wireless technologies, and became the Skyworks Professor in High Performance Communications Devices and Circuits at UCSD’s Jacobs School of Engineering, and is a Member of the National Academy of Engineering for his development of the GaAs HBT device. State of the Art Using GF’s 45RFSOI technology, Asbeck recently developed power amplifiers operating at 28 GHz that can provide up to 22dBm output power and peak PAE of more than 40%. In a 5G application, the transmitted waveform requires substantial backoff from peak power, and excellent linearity. The 45RFSOI circuit provides an average output power of 13 dBm, with 17 percent backoff PAE for the 5G case. “This is the right level of power and efficiency for the majority of the 5G 28 GHz applications,” Asbeck said, adding that the PA was used to transmit the standard 64 QAM OFDM signals, without using expensive digital pre-distortion (DPD) filtering techniques. While noting that other research labs are approaching similar results, he described his lab’s 45RFSOI-based power amplifier as “pretty much state-of-the-art.” “There is really intense competition now between different technologies for the emerging 5G system slots. 45RFSOI is very close to being the ideal technology for configuring the RF front-end modules for 5G at 28 and 39 GHz. I think it is likely to emerge as the winner for very many 5G systems,” Asbeck said. Schematic and chip microphotograph for 2-stack nMOS SOI 28GHz PASource: P. Asbeck, UCSD That statement is particularly interesting because during his career much of Asbeck’s work has been in gallium arsenide (GaAs), which is able to support the high voltages required for power amplifiers more easily. Since moving to UCSD in 1991, Asbeck has pioneered the ability to put silicon-based transistors in a series to achieve higher voltages, with these “stacked” transistors together providing the required output power. Four transistors in a serial arrangement are sufficient to produce the voltages required for most PA’s, he said. (Cahoon said, simply put, RF power equals the voltage times the current, with higher voltages needed for optimal linear circuits; basically the opposite of digital ICs.) Asbeck is quick to note there are competing technologies to 45RFSOI, including gallium arsenide (GaAs), gallium nitride (GaN), and silicon germanium (SiGe). Another contender is the 22FDX® technology from GF. In a Foundry File blog last year, another professor at UCSD, Gabriel Rebeiz, described the work he is doing to develop low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) in the 22FDX technology. Rebeiz, in an interview, said he believes the power levels in 22FDX-based amplifiers can be increased so that integrated 5G front-end solutions can be developed. But Rebeiz tipped his hat toward Asbeck’s work in 45RFSOI, saying “it is essential that the functions be integrated together, without that you do not have a (marketable) part. With RF SOI, besides the stacked-transistor PAs, you can also stack the switches. My group, together with GF, has shown 45RFSOI-based switches with only 0.8 dB of insertion loss. So yes, 45RFSOI is an ideal front-end-module technology.” Source: GF Besides the power amplifiers, RF front-end solutions need to integrate the low-noise amplifiers and switches, as well as phase shifters and variable gain amplifiers. RF SOI, Asbeck said, has proven to be “the world’s best approach” for millimeter-wave switches, which “outshine” switches available in SiGe HBT or GaAs technologies. “There are some applications in 5G, to be sure, that require higher output power than has been demonstrated so far in 45RFSOI. The first generation 5G deployments may employ PAs in other technologies such as SiGe HBT or GaAs or GaN. But we think there is a great opportunity to further increase the output power achievable with 45RFSOI into the Watt range for peak power, and to take over these slots as well as the lower-power ones,” he said. Minimizing Parasitics What gives RF SOI an edge? Asbeck said to reach the required levels of output power, transistor stacking “needs to be done – that is, placing a number of FETs in series, so that the overall voltage handling is increased.” The silicon-on-insulator structure of 45RFSOI removes all the parasitics associated with body-effect and substrate capacitance that hamper circuits made in bulk-CMOS. Also, 45RFSOI has a high-resistivity substrate that “minimizes the capacitances of interconnects as well as of the devices. The three thick metal layers make the losses of matching networks the lowest of pretty much any IC technology. And the high Ft and Fmax values provide lots of gain at 28 GHz,” he said. Battery life, so important in handsets, relates to the efficiency of the power amplifiers. Asbeck said, “45RFSOI has exceptional efficiency for the 28 GHz amplifiers, and it is pretty close to the best achieved in GaAs or GaN. I think that the high substrate resistivity and thick metals by themselves add about 5 percent to the PAE (power added efficiency) of the 28 GHz power amplifiers that we have made. Our record is 47 percent PAE, with saturated output power of 19.5 dBm in a simple 2-stack PA. A couple of other laboratories are reporting PAEs in this range too, using 45RFSOI.” Cahoon said Asbeck’s 45RFSOI work has demonstrated the value of high-speed pFETs, along with the nFETs. Asbeck said the fast pFETs will enable the use of complementary circuits, with the pFETs improving the AM-PM characteristics of mostly nFET circuits. “We are also optimistic about mostly pFET circuits, because these transistors actually have potentially even better voltage handling than the nFETs,” he said. (The AM-PM conversion of an amplifier is a measure of the amount of undesired phase deviation (PM) that is caused by amplitude variations (AM) inherent in the system.) For me, I took away two thoughts. One is that GF’s “pivot” away from leading-edge bulk CMOS in order to support technologies such as RF SOI was a smart move. And listening to Asbeck, Cahoon and Rebeiz, one senses a confidence that millimeter-wave 5G wireless is readily achievable, providing the world with unbelievably fast wireless connections based on affordable, highly integrated ICs. About Author Dave Lammers Dave Lammers is a contributing writer for Solid State Technology and a contributing blogger for GF’s Foundry Files. Dave started writing about the semiconductor industry while working at the Associated Press Tokyo bureau in the early 1980s, a time of rapid growth for the industry. He joined E.E. Times in 1985, covering Japan, Korea, and Taiwan for the next 14 years while based in Tokyo. In 1998 Dave, his wife Mieko, and their four children moved to Austin to set up a Texas bureau for E.E. Times. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Dave received a master’s in journalism at the University of Missouri School of Journalism.
