Key Foundry Offers Gen3 0.18 micron BCD Process Enhanced for Mobile and Automotive Power Semiconductors

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Feb 09, 2021, 07:00 ET

SEOUL, South Korea, Feb. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Key Foundry, the only pure-play foundry in Korea, announced today that it will kick off mass production with a Gen3 0.18 micron BCD process that is enhanced for mobile and automotive power semiconductors.

The BCD (Bipolar-CMOS-DMOS) technology is a specialized process technology that integrates three components - Bipolar transistor for analog signal control, CMOS for digital signal control, and DMOS for high voltage driving - on a single chip applying to various power semiconductor products. This third-generation (Gen3) 0.18 micron BCD of Key Foundry offers about 20% more improved performance than the previous generation. The lower ON-resistance and the smaller parasitic capacitance of 8~40V power NMOS/PMOS reduce conduction and switching loss. Such features render the technology as a suitable process for products whose power efficiency is important. The technology has already been applied for product development with several Asian and American power semiconductor design houses, and it now attracts growing interest from various IC designers for DC-DC, battery chargers, audio amplifiers, motor drivers, etc. As it fulfills the Grade-1 qualifications of AEC-Q100, the reliability specification defined for electronic parts used in the automotive industry, it is also suitable for automotive power semiconductors such as a motor driver IC, a DC-DC IC, or a BMS IC (Battery Management System IC).

To satisfy the diverse requirements of customers, Key Foundry provides option devices along with the process. In particular, it offers MTP (Multi-Time Programming) and OTP (One-Time Programming) IP without adding more process steps, to help shorten the design cycles of the power semiconductor designers that require memory functions and at the same time improve their price competitiveness. It also offers a dielectric process that operates at 10kV or higher so that DC-DC ICs or motor driver ICs can encompass a capacitive isolator function. The company is now developing more option devices such as low operating voltage power devices, power PMOS with low ON-resistance for high-side circuits, and depletion-mode NMOS for startup circuits. These option devices are expected to be available in the first half of 2021.

"As the power semiconductor market is making a rapid growth recently, there are escalating demands for highly reliable and price-competitive foundry technologies," said Key Foundry CEO Tae Jong Lee. "Based on our accumulated technological capability, Key Foundry will continue to improve our process technologies and provide competitive BCD processes that satisfy the market demand and the needs of power semiconductor designing companies."

About Key Foundry

Headquartered in Korea, Key Foundry provides specialty Analog and Mixed-Signal foundry services for semiconductor companies to serve a wide range of applications in the consumer, communications, computing, automotive and industrial industries. With a broad range of technology portfolio and process nodes, Key Foundry has the flexibility and capability to meet the ever-evolving needs of semiconductor companies across the globe. Please visit https://www.key-foundry.com for more information.

SOURCE Key Foundry