Industry’s first high-performance complementary BiCMOS technology delivers performance and power advantages for essential markets and applications
At its annual Technology Summit in California, GlobalFoundries (GF) announced the production release of its 130nm complementary Bi-CMOS (CBIC) platform, the company’s highest-performance silicon germanium (SiGe) technology to date.
Now available for design with a process design kit (PDK), 130CBIC delivers unmatched performance with NPN transistors exceeding 400 GHz ft/fmax and PNP transistors surpassing 200 GHz—making it the only high-performance SiGe platform capable of addressing multiple key markets including smartphones, wireless infrastructure, optical networking, satellite communications and industrial IoT.
Developed and manufactured at GF’s facility in Burlington, Vermont, 130CBIC is optimized to push the limits of RF performance in connected applications while reducing cost. For cellular smartphones, the platform enables low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) that reduce current consumption while maintaining ultra-low noise figure, helping to reduce battery drain. In the datacenter, the platform’s high-performance PNP transistors enable innovative amplifier topologies that deliver high gain-bandwidth at lower power for high-speed analog and optical networking. The platform also supports advanced mmWave industrial radar applications exceeding 100GHz, enabling high resolution sensing and distance ranging in a reduced form factor.
Read More on CIO Influence: The Road to AI-Native Wireless: Why Traditional RAN Must Evolve
“130CBIC represents a major milestone in our SiGe roadmap, setting a new benchmark for performance for the broad spectrum of high-growth markets that rely on advanced RF technologies for high-speed, energy-efficient connectivity,” said Shankaran Janardhanan, senior vice president of GF’s RF product line. “By combining industry-leading transistor performance with a low-mask count process, we’re opening new avenues of RF innovation to our customers across the board and enabling them to ramp new technologies to market faster.”
130CBIC is available for prototyping through GF’s GlobalShuttle multi-project wafer program, with shuttles scheduled through 2025 and 2026. RF reference designs are available through GF’s self-service GF Connect portal to help jumpstart the design process.
GlobalFoundries (GF) is a leading manufacturer of essential semiconductors the world relies on to live, work and connect. We innovate and partner with customers to deliver more power-efficient, high-performance products for the automotive, smart mobile devices, internet of things, communications infrastructure and other high-growth markets. With our global manufacturing footprint spanning the U.S., Europe, and Asia, GF is a trusted and reliable source for customers around the world. Every day, our talented global team delivers results with an unyielding focus on security, longevity, and sustainability.
Catch more CIO Insights: What is Shadow IT and why does it matter for enterprise security?
[To share your insights with us, please write to psen@itechseries.com ]
