Over the last couple of weeks, FD-SOI has been in the news with GlobalFoundries announcement of a 22nm FD-SOI process that will run in the Dresden Fab. Also, earlier in the week I talked to Thomas Skotnicki about the saga (and it is a saga) of how FD-SOI got from his PhD thesis to volume manufacturing and global deployment. But there … Read More
Thomas Skotnicki: FD-SOI 26 Years in the Making
It seems to be FD-SOI week yet again. I talked to Thomas Skotnicki this morning. He is the father of thin-box FD-SOI and its birth is an interesting story. The story began 26 years ago (so not quite as far back as the photo!).
Thomas is of Polish origins (he is actually Tomeczek) and grew up in Warsaw where he earned his PhD. In 1983 in Canterbury,… Read More
GlobalFoundries 22nm FD-SOI: What Happens When
Earlier in the week I wrote about GlobalFoundries announcement of 22nm FD-SOI. At SEMICON West there were three events that filled in some more details. First, on Tuesday, a lunch presentation given by SOITEC who make the wafer blanks that FD-SOI requires. Then on Wednesday I sat down for an hour with Gary Patton and Subi Kengeri … Read More
GlobalFoundries FD-SOI. Yes, It’s True
There have been rumors around for months (even on Semiwiki here) but today it is official. GlobalFoundries announced 22FDX which is a 22nm FD-SOI platform. GF announced that they had licensed FD-SOI from STMicroelectronics a couple of years ago and then…nothing. I just assumed it was a marketing deal that would be driven… Read More
GlobalFoundries Endorse ST/LETI FD-SOI 22nm!
The LETI days and the associated FD-SOI workshop took place in Grenoble (France) last week and I could not attend in person… but I had the opportunity to speak with LETI CEO Marie Semaria. Before going into details into the 3 key messages from the LETI (FD-SOI, Silicon Impulse and Cool Cube), it’s important to share the great news from… Read More
Can FD-SOI Change the Rule of Game?
It appears so. Why there is so much rush towards FD-SOI in recent days? Before talking about the game, let me reflect a bit on the FD-SOI technology first. The FD-SOI at 28nm claims to be the most power-efficient and lesser cost technology compared to any other technology available at that node. There are many other advantages from… Read More
FD-SOI the Synapse Way
Last week I talked to Marco Brambilla of Synapse Design. Synapse is a design services company headquartered in Silicon Valley. It was founded in 2003 by Satish Bagalkotkar and has been profitable since the beginning. Today it has over 700 people. In addition to the headquarters in Santa Clara, they have a software group in Colorado,… Read More
FinFET vs FDSOI – Which is the Right One for Your Design?
As a professional conference goer I can see definite trends when it comes to topics and attendance. Thus far this year I have seen a double digit increase in attendance, which is great. The question is why? Why is the fabless semiconductor ecosystem leaving the safety of their cubicles and computer screens in droves to mingle amongst… Read More
FD-SOI Foundry
At the end of last month during ISSCC there was a forum organized by the SOI Consortium. It took place in San Francisco at the Palace Hotel (which, if you have never been there, is famous for converting its old entryway for carriages into an amazing dining room, and for a bar with a huge painting by Maxfield Parrish of the Pied Piper valued… Read More
RF on SOI at GF
Unless you have been living under a rock for the last decade, you can’t help but notice the increased importance of RF: bluetooth, WiFi, 3G, LTE, NFC, RFID and more. There is a lot of digital design associated with these standards, especially the highest bandwidth ones, but they also all contain a radio, often called a modem.… Read More