Global Foundries, Santa Clara, Calif., has launched a new semiconductor technology developed specifically to meet the ultralow-power requirements of the next generation of connected devices. The 22FDX platform delivers FinFET-like performance and energy efficiency at a cost comparable to that of 28-nm planar technologies. This provides an optimal solution for the rapidly evolving mainstream mobile, Internet-of-Things (IoT), RF connectivity, and networking markets.
While some applications require the ultimate performance of three-dimensional FinFET transistors, most wireless devices need a better balance of performance, power consumption, and cost. The 22FDX provides the best path for cost-sensitive applications by leveraging the industry’s first 22-nm two-dimensional, fully depleted silicon-on-insulator (FD-SOI) technology. It offers industry’s lowest operating voltage at 0.4 volt, enabling ultralow dynamic power consumption, less thermal impact, and smaller end-product form factors. The 22FDX platform delivers a 20% smaller die size and 10% fewer masks than 28-nm, as well as nearly 50% fewer immersion lithography layers than foundry FinFET.
“The 22FDX platform enables our customers to deliver differentiated products with the best balance of power, performance, and cost,” said Sanjay Jha, chief executive officer of Global Foundries. “In an industry first, 22FDX provides real-time system software control of transistor characteristics: the system designer can dynamically balance power, performance, and leakage. Additionally, for RF and analog integration, the platform delivers best scaling combined with highest energy efficiency.”
The 22FDX leverages the high-volume 28-nm platform in the Global Foundries state-of-the-art 300-mm production line in Dresden, Germany. This technology heralds a new chapter in the “Silicon Saxony” story, building on almost 20 years of sustained investment in Europe’s largest semiconductor fab.
The company has launched its FDX platform in Dresden by investing $250 million for technology development and initial 22FDX capacity. This brings the company’s total investment in Fab 1 to more than $5 billion since 2009. The company plans to make further investments to support additional customer demand. It is partnering with R&D and industry leaders to grow a robust ecosystem and to enable faster time-to-market, as well as a comprehensive roadmap for its 22FDX offering.
