Joint Development Eyes Copper 0.13- to 0.10-μm Logic ICs

March 20, 2000

Three companies—IBM Inc., Armonk, N.Y.; Infineon Technologies AG, Munich, Germany; and UMC Inc., Hsinchu Science Park, Taiwan—will jointly develop advanced technologies for use in semiconductor production. They have agreed to work together to develop common process technologies for building logic chips with circuit sizes from 0.13 to 0.10 µm. The new processes will incorporate copper metallization and allow logic and mixed-signal circuitry, as well as embedded DRAMs, to be combined on a single chip.

The development work will be conducted by a team of scientists and engineers from all three companies at the IBM Semiconductor Research and Development Center (SRDC) in East Fishkill, N.Y. Each company will then be able to implement the processes in their own manufacturing facilities. The companies expect to make details on the first 0.13-µm technology available to customers to initiate their designs in the second quarter of this year.

"We believe more customers will apply the technology in their products, secure in the knowledge that they have multiple sources of supply," says John Kelly, general manager of the IBM Microelectronics Division. Andreas von Zitzewitz, Infineon's COO, also is optimistic. "By combining our companies' complementary distinct top-core competencies, we will be able to master the challenges of the deepest submicron technologies even faster with reduced risk at a reasonable cost," he says. And, UMC chairman Robert Tsao believes, "This agreement represents a path to the future for IC designers around the world."

For further information, go to www.chips.ibm.com/products/asics.

About the Author

Roger Allan

Roger Allan is an electronics journalism veteran, and served as Electronic Design's Executive Editor for 15 of those years. He has covered just about every technology beat from semiconductors, components, packaging and power devices, to communications, test and measurement, automotive electronics, robotics, medical electronics, military electronics, robotics, and industrial electronics. His specialties include MEMS and nanoelectronics technologies. He is a contributor to the McGraw Hill Annual Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. He is also a Life Senior Member of the IEEE and holds a BSEE from New York University's School of Engineering and Science. Roger has worked for major electronics magazines besides Electronic Design, including the IEEE Spectrum, Electronics, EDN, Electronic Products, and the British New Scientist. He also has working experience in the electronics industry as a design engineer in filters, power supplies and control systems.

After his retirement from Electronic Design Magazine, He has been extensively contributing articles for Penton’s Electronic Design, Power Electronics Technology, Energy Efficiency and Technology (EE&T) and Microwaves RF Magazine, covering all of the aforementioned electronics segments as well as energy efficiency, harvesting and related technologies. He has also contributed articles to other electronics technology magazines worldwide.

He is a “jack of all trades and a master in leading-edge technologies” like MEMS, nanolectronics, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, military electronics, biometrics, implantable medical devices, and energy harvesting and related technologies.