GLOBALFOUNDRIES has announced the availability of the first RF SOI foundry solution manufactured on 300 mm wafers. The 8SW SOI process delivers significant performance, integration and area advantages in front-end modules (FEMs) for 4G LTE and sub-6 GHz 5G mobile and wireless communication applications.
GF’s new 8SW technology offers a low cost, low power, highly flexible solution with superior switching, low-noise amplifiers (LNA) and logic processing capabilities on a 300 mm manufacturing line. The technology features up to 70 percent power reduction compared to the previous generation, with higher voltage handling, a best-in-class on-resistance (Ron) and off-capacitance (Coff) for reduced insertion loss with high isolation, and an all-copper interconnect that improves power-handling capacity.
The 300 mm RF silicon-on-insulator (SOI) based technology gives designers a cost-effective platform with an optimal combination of performance, integration and power efficiency with greater digital integration ability. GF’s 8SW technology incorporates a specialized substrate optimization that maximizes the quality factor for passive devices, reduces parasitic capacitances for active circuits and minimizes the disparity in phase and voltage swing for devices operating in the sub-GHz frequency range. The technology showcases an optimized LNA with leadership noise figure and high ft/fmax supporting diversity receive and main antenna path LNA applications for today’s 4G operating frequencies and future sub-6 GHz 5G FEMs.
The advanced 8SW technology is manufactured on 300 mm production line at Fab 10 in East Fishkill, N.Y. and provides the industry with manufacturing capacity to meet the expected market demand at a lower cost. Process design kits are available now. For more information on GF’s RF SOI solutions, click here.
