GCS focusing on InGaP and InP HBTs

News Update

Technology: Microelectronics

Technology:

Start-up uses GCS for first commercial 50 Gb/s InP ICs

Microelectronics

Privately-held start-up Inphi

Inphrs first products are 4:1

said RHK's Director of Optical

Corp (Westlake Village, CA, USA)

multiplexer and 1:4 demulti-

Transport Semiconductors Allan

Inc (Warren, NJ, USA) new GaAs Multi-band Amplifier Circuit has been awarded a second US Patent (No. 6242986 "Multiple-band amplifier"), designed for dual-band 8oo/19oo MHz wireless operation. ANADIGICS

Switching impedance networks are used at the input and output (to provide matching input impedance and desired output impedance for operation in the two bands) and also between any successive stages (to provide proper inter-stage impedance). A bias control circuit biases the amplifier to operate in A, B, AB or C mode.

has developed and tested the

plexer prototypes, which can

Armstrong, "Inphi's multiplexer

world's first commercial InP ICs

operate at a data rate greater

capable of network performance levels higher than 50 Gb/s. Inphi was co-founded in

than 50 Gb/s with a p o w e r

and demultiplexer prototypes represent a significant step forward in InP technology."

900 mW, giving superior

November 2000 by CEO Loi

OC-768 performance.

*While established InP-based IC manufacturers such as TRW's

Nguyen and former HRL Labs InP experts and in December 2000 received US$12m in ven-

The devices are made with GCS'

Velocium - and those manufac-

carbon-doped InP HBT process,

turing under the TRW process

ture capital funding from

which was only launched in

(e.g. RFMD and Endwave) - and

Tallwood Venture Capital

August (scc Issue 8, page 13).

Vitesse Semiconductor arc

(whose managing partner Dado Banatao is Inphrs chairman) and Mayfield (whose Todd Brooks also sits on Inphrs Board of Directors). Unlike materials such as SiGe and GaAs, which are used in 10 Gb/s designs, InP is able to meet higher throughput demands of 40, 43, and 50 Gb/s. Moreover, with InP a single OC-768 (40 Gb/s) channel can now transmit the same amount of data as four 0C-192 channels, at a quarter of the power.

secure, some InP-based start-ups

"Inphi's modelling and design methodology yields circuits that maximize the performance of the GCS carbon-doped InP process technology," explained

(many of which are focused on emerging OC-768 40 Gb/s optical communications) arc experiencing difficulties in raising a second round of funding.

GCS CTO Chanh Nguyen.

"The Inphi circuits are the most complex we have seen to date."

Those that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in late August include Zenastra

"Adoption of 40 Gb/s line rates will be paced by the industry's ability to solve several technical problems and address the dearth of components f r o m fiber to framers,"

Photonics Inc (founded in Ottawa, Ont, Canada in April 2000 with US$40m) and Nanovation Technologies (Northville Township, MI, USA) - see page 36.

force and technical team to

demanding performance needs

Sony's Japan fabs to offer foundry for the first time, targeting BiCMOS/SiGe

focus business on the increas-

for those designing into OC-768

At October's 2001 Fabless

ing demand for recently launch-

Targeted at wireless, wircline,

applications and future needs

ed InGaP and InP HBT foundry.

and related applications, with

for high-performance PAs".

Semiconductor Association Expo Kelly Holdbrook - direc-

"As GCS gears up for InGaP and

* GCS says it has reached n e w

tor of business development

competing against Atmel, IBM

InP HBT production we will

Microelectronics etc.

GCS focusing on InGaP and InP HBTs Global Communications Semiconductor Inc (Torrance, CA,

speed circuits) and a carbon-

USA) has reorganized its work-

reliability) - will meet the most

doped base (ensuring long-term

milestones with reliability and

and manufacturing for the Sony

infuse additional specialization

test data from its InP HBT

Semiconductor San Antonio sili-

into our organization," said CEO

process technology.

con foundry division of Sony Electronics Inc (Santa Clara,

and prcsident Owen K Wu.

10

consumption of less than

an option for SiGe Sony will be

Sony also offers IC design services in several locations (including Texas, California,

This also includes the "integra-

"Over two years ago, GCS chose

CA, USA), which has two 5" and

tion of HBT technology with optoelectronics for future OEIC applications." (GCS also pro-

a robust InGaP HBT p o w e r

6" fabs, acquired several years

London, Singapore and Japan)

process," said Wu. "Since then

ago from Advanced Micro

and has IC assembly plants in

we have accumulated over 5m

Devices Inc - announced that

Thailand and Japan.

vides optoelectronic devices

device-hours of accelerated life

Sony Corp is opening up its

Earlier in the year Sony

such as PIN diodes for the fibre-

test data and established the

fabs in Japan for the first time

reliability of our InGaP HBT

revamped its chip operations,

optic communication market

for foundry outsourcing

and future OEIC applications.)

process," Wu said.

(including two 8" silicon fabs

CTO Chanh Nguyen adds

"InGaP HBT devices produced

"Although circuit performance

by GCS' proprietary fabrication

Sony will not compete in CMOS

ufacture chips for Sony or any-

is equally dependent upon de-

process exhibit an activation

foundry but in April 2002 will

one else," explained Sony

sign, GCS' proprietary InP HBT

energy of 1.2 eV and a mean-

ramp up a new "BC2" 50 GHz

Semiconductor San Antonio

technology - which utilizes a

Ume-to-failure of lOm hours at

four-layer-metal 0.35 ~am bipolar

business development manager

low-loss interconnect (for high-

125°C, '' he said.

and 0.25 ~am CMOS process.

Scott Reagan.

in Kokubu).

III-Vs REVIEW THE ADVANCED S~ MICONDUCTOR MAGAZINE VOL14 - NO 9 - Nov/Dec 2ool

with its fabs in the new Engineering Manufacturing & Service Center. "EMSC can man-