Sipex Enters Production with Jazz Semiconductor for Next Generation Power Management Products
Jazz Semiconductor (a wholly owned subsidiary of Jazz Technologies, Inc.) and Sipex Corp. announced that they have collaborated to develop a number of power management devices utilizing Jazz Semiconductor’s 0.5 and 0.25µ Bipolar CMOS DMOS (BCD) processes. BCD processes are claimed to provide features that enable higher levels of integration, smaller size, and better efficiency than general foundry offerings.
Jazz Semiconductor’s BCD processes incorporate into a single foundry process flow, three different process types: bipolar, for analog control; CMOS, for digital control; and DMOS, for handling the high currents required for managing on-chip or system power. The combined process is well-suited to address the power requirements of both consumer and handheld electronics.
Sipex is using the Jazz BCD05 process for the continued development of their family of WLED backlighting solutions for notebook and monitor displays. The combination of high voltage and small geometries allow the integration of digital interfaces and the capability of driving large numbers of LEDs in series. The BCD05 process will also be used to manufacture Sipex’s PowerBlox™ devices, as well as the company’s first sub-micron interface device. Sipex products using the BCD05 process are expected to start shipping before the end of the year. Sipex has also announced the selection of Jazz’s BCD25 process for its new high performance power devices and new high-speed interface products.
The Jazz BCD05 process is a 0.5µ 40V BCD process that features dual gate oxides (5.5 and 16V), complementary N- and P-channel MOSFETs with 5, 7, 16, and 30V capabilities, vertical NPN (VNPN) and lateral PNP (LPNP) bipolar transistors, a variety of passive elements, and an NMOS device rated for 40V operation. This process provides a versatile platform for applications requiring BiCMOS or BCD-only process technologies and integrates 0.5µ CMOS with high-voltage drivers, enabling the fabrication of complex smart-power chips. This process is well-suited for applications such as power management and smart power, motor control, gate drivers and microprocessor supervisory circuits.
The Jazz 0.25µ offering provides a migration path from its 0.5µ, 40V BCD process. Jazz BCD25 can provide significant cost reductions by allowing designers of power devices to achieve a shrink of up to 50% in device area size as compared to BCD05. Jazz BCD25 processes offer advanced CMOS, a combination of bipolar NPN and PNP devices, as well as high voltage LDMOS FETs that take advantage of 0.25µ rules to reduce on-resistance and size of power cells used in complex power management chips including driver ICs, battery and portable power management, power control for PC products, and Class-D audio amplifiers for both fixed and low-power mobile applications.
The Jazz BCD25 process features 5V CMOS, a 1KΩ poly resistor, MIM capacitors, a broad voltage range of LDMOS transistors that is designed to operate at 12, 20 and 40V with ultra low Rdson at all voltage levels, VIA stacking, thick top power metal (3um) for improved current-carrying capacity, ESD protection circuits, and triple well isolation. BCD25 reuses existing high performance and high density features from Jazz Semiconductor’s existing, high volume 0.35 and 0.25µ processes.
