Industry News
SOI consortium release
comparison study
THE SOI INDUSTRY CONSORTIUM has announced the results substrate options: bulk and SOI,” comments Horacio Mendez,
of a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) and bulk FinFETs comparison executive director of the SOI Industry Consortium. “This
study conducted by the organization with the support of collaborative effort between companies and R&D institutes
some of its key members. The study has evaluated takes a careful look at these critical parameters and its impact
performance, process variability, and cost differences between to end products.”
FinFETs fabricated with junction isolation on bulk silicon As the Semiconductor industry looks toward the 22nm
wafers, and FinFETs fabricated on SOI wafers. The analysis technology node, some manufacturers are considering a
shows that fabrication on bulk and SOI wafers is for all transition from traditional planar CMOS transistors to the
practical purposes equivalent in performance and cost. three-dimensional FinFET device architecture. Relative to
However, bulk-based FinFETs are much more challenging to planar transistors, FinFETs offer improved channel control and
Issue VII 2009
manufacture due to increased process variability. therefore reduced short channel effects.
square4
Transistors are the miniscule on/off switches that make up SOI simplifies FinFET fabrication: the buried oxide layer
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the integrated circuits in today's microprocessors. The Fin acts as an etch-stop and isolates individual transistors; the fin
Field Effect Transistor (FinFET) design relies upon a thin height is a function of the substrate thickness. Process
vertical silicon "fin" to help control leakage of current through variability comparisons showed that fin height and width are
the transistor when it is in the "off" stage. This design far more easily controlled in the SOI process.
combination allows for the creation of new chips with In this study, the fin heights and widths of the FinFET
enhanced performance and ever-shrinking geometries. pairs fabricated on bulk were shown to vary between 150 and
“This is a very important study. As the industry 160% more than the SOI equivalents. Such variation in these
oasiasemiconductor
contemplates transitioning to non-planar transistors, it is vital “transistor matching characteristics”, which is the result of
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to bring the best technical assessments possible of complexity in the bulk manufacturing process, can lead to
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manufacturability, cost and performance between the two end-product variability.
13
IBM and Intel
Chinese semiconductor market
Capital
to increase by 17.8%
accused of
THE CHINESE SEMICONDUCTOR
insider trading
MARKET is set to increase by at least
17.8 per cent this year, according to a
new report. Research and consulting
ROBERT W. MOFFAT JR., senior VP at business iSuppli conducted a study
IBM and Rajiv Goel, MDof Intel Capital, that suggested the industry will see a
along with four other executives, have rebound next year in advance of what
been arrested on charges of insider the rest of the world is expecting.
trading. The charges relate to It is thought that as the global
information passed on to Danielle economic crisis begins to recover,
Chiesi regarding quarterly earnings for there will be a greater demand for
IBM and its partners as well as Chinese exports.
information regarding AMDs sale to By 2010, it is forecast that the demand that limited the decline in
Abu Dhabi group. Early reports suggest country's Semiconductor sector will be 2009 and set the stage for a return to
the fraud led to almost $25 million in worth $80.1 billion (£49 billion). double-digit percentage growth in
illegal returns for those involved. The Kevin Wang from iSuppli 2010," he stated.
SEC expects more charges to be laid in explained the Chinese domestic Earlier this month, iSuppli
what could be one of the biggest electronics industry began to suggested that the economic
insider trading cases for a decade. recover during the first three months downturn may mean the number of
Certainly one of the largest in the IC of 2009 thanks to the government's top-tier pure-play Semiconductor
industry. Not surprisingly, no one stimulus package. "This fuelled a suppliers is reduced to just three
company or individual is prepared to subsequent recovery in Semiconductor major players in the future.
comment on the situation at this stage.
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