TSMC Announces 0.18-micron Mixed Signal and RF CMOS Processes

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company announced the production-readiness of the industry's first 0.18-micron mixed signal and RF CMOS processes. The mixed signal process is in production now, with several customer tape-outs already under way. The RF CMOS process is also ready for production, with first customer product tape-outs expected to be completed in September. Initial customer test chips have yielded functional silicon, including a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) and a low noise amplifier (LNA) registering 2.4 GHz.

TSMC's mixed signal and RF processes have been specially developed to meet the needs of the fast-changing telecommunications market. These processes enable smaller device dimensions, increased performance with lower costs than current BiCMOS and GaAs alternatives. In addition, TSMC's mixed signal and RF processes include all the necessary building blocks for communications applications such as switches, transceivers, set-top boxes, and the latest in Bluetooth designs.

TSMC's 0.18-micron mixed-signal and RF processes represent an advancement in the company's industry-leading mixed signal/RF roadmap, which began with the 0.25 micron generation. The processes are fully compatible with TSMC's industry-leading 0.18-micron process and feature a core voltage of 1.8 volts and I/O voltage of 3.3-volts. The optimized process has an NMOS fT of 62 GHz, creating high operation frequency while coupled to a deep n-well option that provides a noise transmission reduction of 25 dB less than traditional twin well processes.

Designers can add 1.8 V and 3.3 V transistors for mixed-signal cores and I/Os; precision capacitors and resistors for high-performance mixed-signal functions; and high-quality inductors, varactors, and diodes for RF functions. Two enhanced varactors using novel topology - an NMOS varactor and an Nwell junction varactor - provide an extremely high Q-factor (ratio of energy stored to energy dissipated) relative to the standard varactors available in TSMC's 0.18-micron CMOS logic process. These new varactors enable improvements in phase-locked loops (PLLs), clocks and other components used in a variety of communications devices.

Comprehensive Design Kit
In addition, the company has unveiled a comprehensive design kit for mixed signal and RF integrated circuits. The design kit includes complete device and component libraries and their associated databases; design guidelines; and models for both the baseband and RF band. The plug-in databases and models are completely ready-to-use, significantly reducing the design cycle.

The design kit includes design rules for layout and precision mixed-signal components; mixed-signal and RF SPICE models; and design guidelines for using MiM capacitors, varactors, inductors, and resistors. The kit is available now.
Designers can use the new kit to achieve much earlier characterization in TSMC silicon. In addition, using the Internet-based TSMC Online service, designers can quickly and easily gather documentation updates and characterization reports, accelerating the design process and increasing design confidence for rapid prototyping.

Edited by Gregg Miller
Managing Editor, RF Globalnet