X-Fab to add 130nm SiGe with IHP deal
X-Fab Silicon Foundries has extended its partnership with the Leibniz Institute for High Performance Microelectronics (IHP) to add a 130nm silicon germanium process to its offering.
X-Fab expects usage for the process in applications such as Wi-Fi 6 access points, next-generation cellular infrastructure, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, and 100GHz-plus automotive radar.
This license agreement follows on from the collaborative work that began in 2021, where X-Fab’s copper backend processing was added to IHP’s SG13S and SG13G2 frontend technologies to boost the bandwidth figures that could be supported.
The foundry is set to start engaging with selected early adopters on prototyping projects during Q4 2022, using an early-access PDK. Volume manufacturing will be at X-FAB France, the company’s facility near Paris.
“This is the starting point for us to make further SiGe BiCMOS related innovations that will contribute to defining the communications sector in the years ahead,” said Greg U’Ren, X-Fab’s RF technology director.