GlobalFoundries (GF) has announced advancements in the industry’s first RFSOI foundry solution manufactured on 300mm wafers. Building upon its 8SW RFSOI technology and designed in collaboration with key customers, GF’s 9SW RFSOI technology is GF’s most advanced RF solution and will offer significant improvements in performance, integration, and area advantages in front-end modules (FEMs) for today’s 5G operating frequencies, as well as future 5G mobile and wireless communication applications, spanning Sub-8 GHz, mmWave, and FR3.
GF’s 9SW technology offers a low-cost, low-power, highly flexible solution for RF front-end applications, improving on 8SW with superior switching, low-noise amplifiers (LNA), and logic processing capabilities. The technology features a significant reduction in standby currents for longer battery life, creating products over 10% smaller than previous generations with more than a 20% enhancement in efficiency through lower on-resistance and off-capacitance. The technology is more energy-efficient, lowering power consumption in both inactive and active states. It’s designed to enable the features customers want most: extremely fast downloads and longer battery life with higher quality and longer-range connectivity.
“Developing high-speed, more reliable connectivity is critical for the key 5G mobile and next-generation applications that we all depend on to live, work, and play,” said David Archbold, vice president of product marketing, Wireless Semiconductor Division, Broadcom. “With this new generation of technology, Broadcom will enable our customers to deliver the best possible 5G mobile experience to their end users.”
“Wireless Connectivity comes in many shapes and sizes. GF has long-standing leadership in highly efficient wireless, whether it’s short, medium, or long range. The ever-increasing reliance on 5G and smart mobile devices, combined with the explosion of data, necessitates more connectivity and improved efficiency. GF’s newest generation of industry-leading RF SOI technologies will allow us to meet the global demand for solutions that deliver more reliable, seamless connectivity while using significantly less power,” said GF President and CEO Dr. Thomas Caulfield.
The advanced 9SW technology will be manufactured on GF’s 300-mm production line at its fabrication site in Singapore and will provide the industry with manufacturing capacity to meet expected market demand.
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