RF SOI platform boasts 80-fsec RonCoff spec

Peregrine Semiconductor Corp. announces the UltraCMOS 12 technology platform. Now in production, this next-generation RF SOI platform boasts a RONCOFF performance level of 80 fs—a 25-percent improvement over the last generation. To develop the 300 mm UltraCMOS 12 platform, Peregrine collaborated with GLOBALFOUNDRIES, a leading full-service semiconductor foundry.

A key metric for RF switching, RONCOFF is Peregrine’s performance benchmark for each new generation of the UltraCMOS platform. RONCOFF is a ratio of how much loss occurs when a radio signal goes through a switch in its ON state (RON, or on-resistance) and how much the radio signal leaks through the capacitor in its OFF state (COFF, or off capacitance). With each new UltraCMOS generation, Peregrine targets a 20-percent improvement in RONCOFF. UltraCMOS 12 technology surpasses this target and sets a new industry standard for RONCOFFperformance.

“For nearly three decades, Peregrine’s UltraCMOS technology platform has been at the forefront of RF SOI performance – especially for RF switching,” says Alain Duvallet, vice president of RF process technology at Peregrine Semiconductor. “This legacy continues with today’s introduction of the UltraCMOS 12 platform, which boasts the industry’s best RONCOFF performance. And this technology breakthrough is on a 300 mm RF SOI wafer!”

UltraCMOS 12 technology, like the two generations prior—UltraCMOS 10 and 11, uses a custom fabrication flow from GLOBALFOUNDRIES. This collaboration between Peregrine and GLOBALFOUNDRIES yields industry-leading advancements. UltraCMOS 11 technology, introduced in July 2015, was the industry’s first RF SOI 300 mm platform, and UltraCMOS 10, introduced in October 2013, delivered the industry’s best RONCOFFperformance, at the time.

“Our joint development with Peregrine Semiconductor continues to produce remarkable results, and UltraCMOS 12 technology is the latest success story,” said Raj Nair, vice president of technology development at GLOBALFOUNDRIES. “This new RF SOI technology reaffirms our commitment to the RF market and is another example of how GLOBALFOUNDRIES can provide industry-leading levels of performance, reliability and scalability.”