在市場(chǎng)再度傳言IBM將10億美元出售其芯片部門給GlobalFoundries的同時(shí)，該公司正在加速量產(chǎn)新一代絕緣上覆硅(silicon-on-insulator，SOI)與硅鍺(silicon germanium，SiGe)制程，以擴(kuò)大在射頻(RF)芯片代工市場(chǎng)的占有率；該類芯片傳統(tǒng)上大多是采用更稀有的砷化鎵(gallium arsenide，GaAs)制程。 IBM的兩種新制程都在該公司只提供晶圓代工的 美國(guó)佛州Burlington晶圓廠運(yùn)作，該座8吋晶圓廠以往曾生產(chǎn)IBM高階服務(wù)器處理器以及相關(guān)芯片，不過(guò)那些芯片的生產(chǎn)已經(jīng)移往位于紐約州East Fishkill的 12吋晶圓廠。Burlington晶圓廠為廣泛的客戶提供 CMOS、SOI與SiGe等多種制程，但現(xiàn)在打算將制程種類減少，集中資源在生產(chǎn)RF芯片的SOI制程等技術(shù)上；該種制程目前也是IBM晶圓代工業(yè)務(wù)中 成長(zhǎng)最快的。 不過(guò)IBM并未透露該晶圓廠的產(chǎn)能規(guī)模以及營(yíng)收，僅表示該公司自四年前開始生產(chǎn)SOI制程RF芯片迄今，該類芯片已經(jīng)累計(jì)出貨達(dá)70億顆──光是去年出貨量就達(dá)30億顆；那些芯片主要是供應(yīng)手機(jī)與無(wú)線通信基站應(yīng)用。 接 受EETimes美國(guó)版編輯訪問(wèn)的IBM代表都不愿針對(duì)芯片部門出售傳言發(fā)表意見(jiàn)，這些專家都是該公司模擬制造部門的資深人才，只談技術(shù)。IBM專門生產(chǎn) RF芯片的最新SOI制程代號(hào)為 7SW，以制造RF交換器為主，還有一些功率放大器；無(wú)論是蜂窩通信或是Wi-Fi設(shè)備，為因應(yīng)對(duì)多重頻段的支持，對(duì)這類組件需求越來(lái)越高。 在 IBM任職25年、五年前開始負(fù)責(zé)RF SOI業(yè)務(wù)的RF前端技術(shù)開發(fā)經(jīng)理Mark Jaffe表示：“較新一代的智能型手機(jī)內(nèi)含8~12顆RF交換器，RF前端的構(gòu)造非常復(fù)雜，主要原因是我們現(xiàn)在有采用載波聚合(carrier aggregation)的 Advanced LTE 技術(shù)，支持很多載波路徑以及頻段?！? IBM為RF芯片量身打造的SOI制程技術(shù) 7SW 是一種1.3微米/1.8微米混合制程，號(hào)稱能提升RF交換器性能30%，同時(shí)將芯片面積尺寸縮小30%?！拔覀冎匦麓蛟炝私粨Q器晶體管，將焦點(diǎn)集中在決 定漏電的導(dǎo)通電阻(resistance-on)與關(guān)斷電容(capacitance-off)；”Jaffe表示：“其次我們提升了交換器晶體管的擊穿 電壓(breakdown voltage)，通常你得堆棧晶體管以承受高電壓需求，但現(xiàn)在你可以建立一個(gè)短一點(diǎn)的堆棧以縮減芯片面積。” 此 外IBM也改善了晶體管的線性度，將三次諧波失真(the third harmonic distortion)降低了8dB。事實(shí)上7SW制程幕后的核心團(tuán)隊(duì)大概只有10個(gè)人、工作了18個(gè)月；該團(tuán)隊(duì)約是從 2006年開始研發(fā)RF芯片專用的SOI制程。而為了建立第二供應(yīng)來(lái)源，IBM已將位于法國(guó)的一座舊晶圓廠獨(dú)立為新公司Altis。 在IBM任職14年、負(fù)責(zé)向無(wú)線領(lǐng)域客戶營(yíng)銷晶圓代工業(yè)務(wù)的Sara Mellinger表示，過(guò)去包括Skyworks等市場(chǎng)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)級(jí)RF芯片供貨商，是采用砷化鎵制程制造RF前端芯片，但現(xiàn)在該類芯片已經(jīng)大幅轉(zhuǎn)向采用SiGe或SOI制程。 目前在SOI制程RF芯片代工領(lǐng)域，Tower Jazz是IBM最大的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手，此外CMOS制程晶圓代工大廠GlobalFoundries 與臺(tái)積電(TSMC)也準(zhǔn)備切入SOI制程搶相關(guān)商機(jī)。目前IBM的7SW制程已經(jīng)在質(zhì)量驗(yàn)證階段，并為關(guān)鍵客戶提供芯片樣品，預(yù)計(jì) 2015年正式量產(chǎn)。 本文授權(quán)編譯自EE Times，版權(quán)所有，謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載 本文下一頁(yè)：IBM的SiGe制程邁向90納米節(jié)點(diǎn)

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{pagination} IBM的SiGe制程邁向90納米節(jié)點(diǎn) 至于IBM代號(hào) 9HP的SiGe BiCMOS制程技術(shù)則是90納米節(jié)點(diǎn)，能支持360 GHz最高振蕩頻率(Fmax)、300+ GHz截止頻率(Ft)，因應(yīng)60~80GHz運(yùn)作頻率的各種芯片所需閾值。而采用90納米制程節(jié)點(diǎn)，則能實(shí)現(xiàn)接近SOI、媲美砷化鎵制程之更緊密、低功 耗的設(shè)計(jì)，可生產(chǎn)包括60GHz的Wi-Fi芯片、蜂巢式骨干網(wǎng)絡(luò)芯片組、高階測(cè)試設(shè)備用芯片、光學(xué)收發(fā)器，以及規(guī)模雖小、成長(zhǎng)快速的車用雷達(dá)芯片，還有 航天軍事應(yīng)用雷達(dá)芯片。 “這將會(huì)是被大幅應(yīng)用的技術(shù)；”自1980年代就投入開發(fā)SiGe技術(shù)(當(dāng)時(shí)應(yīng)用于生產(chǎn)IBM服務(wù)器處理器芯片)的IBM院士David Harame表示，目前大多數(shù)SiGe技術(shù)都是采用0.18或0.13微米制程節(jié)點(diǎn)，IBM是最近才領(lǐng)先宣布進(jìn)入90納米節(jié)點(diǎn)。 9HP 制程是IBM的一個(gè)十人小組花了四年時(shí)間開發(fā)，目前已提供數(shù)家關(guān)鍵客戶試用，預(yù)計(jì)8月能通過(guò)質(zhì)量驗(yàn)證。如同SOI制程，IBM也將提供9HP制程的開發(fā)套件，此外該公司也提供客制化的介電質(zhì)附加模塊(dielectric add-on modules)以及毫米波工具組。Harame強(qiáng)調(diào)：“這并非是產(chǎn)業(yè)界常見(jiàn)的服務(wù)，你在其他先進(jìn)CMOS晶圓廠或12吋晶圓廠就找不到這些東西?！? 該團(tuán)隊(duì)也表示，SiGe制程市場(chǎng)正呈現(xiàn)成長(zhǎng)態(tài)勢(shì)，因?yàn)槟壳胺涓C骨干網(wǎng)絡(luò)正邁向采用60GHz連結(jié)技術(shù)，此外車用雷達(dá)也預(yù)計(jì)將被產(chǎn)業(yè)界大幅采用。 本文授權(quán)編譯自EE Times，版權(quán)所有，謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載 編譯：Judith Cheng 參考英文原文：IBM Upgrades RF Foundry Efforts，by Rick Merritt

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{pagination} IBM Upgrades RF Foundry Efforts Rick Merritt 90 nm SiGe process due in August SAN JOSE, Calif. — IBM is ramping up new silicon-on-insulator and silicon germanium processes, aiming to increase its share of the foundry business for RF chips. Many of the components are traditionally made in more exotic gallium arsenide processes. The efforts underscore IBM's deep expertise in process technology. But they come at a time when the unit is operating under the cloud of reports the corporation is considering a sale of its chip division. Both the new processes run in IBM's Burlington, Vt., fab that solely does foundry work. The 200 mm wafer fab once made processors and related chips for IBM's high-end servers, but that work has moved on to IBM's 300 mm facility in East Fishkill, N.Y. The Burlington fab supports many flavors of CMOS, silicon-on-insulator (SOI), and silicon germanium (SiGe) processes for a wide variety of customers. It is trying to focus on fewer recipes, like its SOI process for making RF chips, a process that now represents the majority and fastest-growing part of its business. IBM provides no details of the size of the fab or its revenues. However it does say it has sold a total of nearly 7 billion SOI RF chips for handsets and base stations since it started making the parts about four years ago -- 3 billion of them in the last year. In interviews with four technical and marketing experts from Burlington, none would comment on the impact of the rumored sale of the division. All are veterans of IBM, parts of small, elite teams doing deep technical work in the area of analog components for the rapidly growing mobile sector. Next page: Inside IBM's new SOI recipe Inside IBM's new SOI recipe IBM's so-called 7SW is its latest SOI recipe for making RF chips, mainly RF switches and some power amplifiers. Cellular and WiFi systems need a growing number of the components to handle the increasing number of frequency bands the standards support. "Newer smartphones have eight to 12 RF switches per phone. The architecture of the RF front end is getting very complicated because, as we get to things like Advanced LTE with carrier aggregation, there are a lot of carrier paths and frequencies," says Mark Jaffe, IBM's manager of RF front-end development. 7SW is a 130/180 nm hybrid tuned to deliver about 30% more performance and 30% smaller die area for RF switches. "We re-engineered the switch transistor completely, focusing on metrics such as resistance-on and capacitance-off, which determine leakage," says Jaffe, a 25-year IBM semiconductor veteran who has managed the RF SOI program for five years. "Secondly, we increased the breakdown voltage for the switch transistor. Typically you need to stack transistors to withstand high voltage requirements, but now you can build a shorter stack, and that provides a reduction in chip area." IBM also improved the linearity of the transistors, achieving about an 8 dB decrease in the third harmonic distortion. The core team behind 7SW comprised only about 10 people working 18 months. The group has been working on SOI for RF chips since about 2006. For a second source, they use an old IBM fab in France spun off as a separate company called Altis. In the past, companies such as Skyworks dominated the market for making RF front-end chips using gallium arsenide (GaAs). But today "the industry is going through a big shift," to SiGe and SOI processes, says Sara Mellinger, a 14-year IBM vet who markets the foundry service to wireless customers. Tower Jazz is one of IBM's biggest competitors here, using SOI for RF chips. CMOS giants such as GlobalFoundries and TSMC are said to be getting into SOI to capture some of the business as well. 7SW is still in qualification, with sample parts shipping to key customers. Volume production is expected next year. Next page: Silicon germanium moves to 90 nm Silicon germanium moves to 90 nm IBM's 9HP is a 90 nm SiGe BiCMOS process that can support a 360 GHz Fmax and 300+ GHz Ft. That provides the margin needed to handle a wide variety of chips using 60 to 80 GHz services. The 90 nm features sizes support denser designs with power consumption closer to SOI than competing GaAs processes. Applications include 60 GHz WiFi and cellular backhaul chipsets, high-end test gear, optical transceivers, automotive radar -- a small but rapidly growing segment -- and aerospace and defense radar. "This will be a heavily used technology," says David Harame, an IBM fellow who has been working on SiGe since the 1980s when it was used for IBM's server CPUs. "Most SiGe results published to date are for 180 to 130 nm processes" not 90 nm, which he claims currently only IBM supports. 9HP has been in development for four years by a 10-person team at IBM. A handful of key clients have had early access to the technology, which IBM expects to have qualified in August. As with its SOI process, IBM will offer enablement tools such as process development kits for 9HP. The SiGe group also offers custom dielectric add-on modules and millimeter wave tool kits. "That's not a common offering -- you don't find these things in advanced CMOS or 300 mm wafer fabs," says Harame. The group claims SiGE is in a growth mode. Sixty-gigahertz backhaul links are on the rise in cellular networks, and automotive radar is seen as one of the next big things for cars.