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Swindon, UK -- Zarlink Semiconductor announced improvements to its technology for fabricating analog RF components used in DVD players, home entertainment centers, mobile communication handsets and other high-performance applications. Zarlink's updated H-Series processes now deliver more die per wafer and improved yields.

"These improvements to our core H-Series wafer fabrication processes put us ahead of the competition in terms of die efficiency, design flexibility, consistency in process technology and die size," said Dr. Peter Osborne, chief technology officer, Zarlink Analog Foundry. "Revisions to the metallization and via rules enable designers to shrink the die size and optimise the layout for very high-speed analog components."

The Zarlink Analog Foundry is benefiting from the current round of restructuring in the semiconductor industry. Some restructured foundries have caused capacity constraints for companies requiring smaller wafer runs and hard-to-manufacture specialty chips, as well as continuity-of-supply concerns.

"These business conditions are creating exciting, long-term growth opportunities for our Analog Foundry," said Tony Gallagher, senior vice president, Global Operations, Zarlink Semiconductor. "We are committed to giving our many customers a competitive advantage by developing the most cost- effective, high-performance analog process technologies in the industry."

The H-Series processes developed by Zarlink Analog Foundry in Swindon, UK, were first designed for analog RF components used in signal processing applications. The fully qualified improvements to H-Series processes boost the performance and lower the system cost of high-speed, high-performance consumer products and wireless applications.

The Analog Foundry's double poly-silicon H-Series has a full complement of RF-compatible passive components including low-capacitance resistors, high-quality capacitors and inductors. These processes are suited to analog applications and enable full-power, low-voltage, low-noise integrated solutions for performance analog applications up to and higher than 2.5 GHz. Details on how the new metallization and via rules improve the H-Series process are available upon request.

All the H-Series process technologies are available with full design support kits incorporating advanced component models. These comprehensive design kits assist designers in developing new products on H-Series processes and making the transition to Zarlink's processes.

SOURCE: Zarlink Semiconductor

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