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JAZZ SEMICONDUCTOR FOUNDRY PROCESSES ADDRESS EMERGING
DIGITAL TV TUNER APPLICATIONS
Specialty Foundry Offers 0.18 and 0.35 micron Technology
Platforms Optimized for Next Generation TV Tuner Designs
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., June 7, 2005 -- In an effort to
address the transition from analog to digital TV in consumer and
wireless applications, and the increasing deployment of mobile television
broadcasts for handheld devices, Jazz Semiconductor is announcing
its customized process platforms for the multi-standard silicon
TV Tuner market. Specialty process features are available on 0.18
micron and 0.35 micron SiGe BiCMOS and RFCMOS technology platforms
to address the recent trend which replaces the traditional can tuner
with a silicon based tuner for better performance and lower cost,
in line with the anticipated adoption of mobile TV for cellular
phones and other consumer electronics products.
As a pure-play wafer foundry focused primarily on specialty silicon
process technologies, Jazz Semiconductor has established itself
as an enabling technology partner for the TV tuner market which
has received recent industry attention due to the planned increase
in digital television delivery via cable, satellite, mobile and
terrestrial broadcast media. The Jazz SiGe BiCMOS and RFCMOS processes
provide low noise and high dynamic range transistors that meet circuit
requirements for tunability and low power RF performance. In addition
to setting a high standard of performance, Jazz process technology
gives customers the ability to achieve reductions in die size by
scaling down the analog portion of the chip using high-density passive
components available on its 0.18 and 0.35 micron processes for silicon
TV Tuners.
"The TV Tuner market is growing rapidly, driven by a shift
to digital TV broadcasts due to the FCC mandate that all terrestrial
TV broadcasts be digital by 2006. This will require either a new
digital TV or a set-top conversion box. In addition, the new DVB-H
standard will bring digital TV to millions of cell phones and portable
media centers," said Morry Marshall, vice president at Semico
Research. "SiGe is an ideal solution for digital TV tuners
and Jazz Semiconductor has aligned its SiGe process with digital
TV tuner performance requirements."
Jazz technology platforms have optional modules that include SiGe
bipolar transistors for low noise, Metal Insulator Metal (MIM) Capacitors
for high density up to 4 femto-Farad per square micron, deep trench
and triple-well for RF isolation, and high quality inductors for
RF filters and oscillators. The TV tuner technology platforms consist
of both optimized silicon processes and design kits that include
accurate RF models, automated device layout generators, statistical
simulation and extensive verification capability. For moderate levels
of digital integration, designers can take advantage of a lower
cost of entry using 0.35 micron technology with a migration path
to 0.18 micron for a next generation, more highly integrated design
with more digital content. The 0.18 micron tuner process also offers
SiGe transistors with switching speeds up to 150GHz and up to six
layer metal for more efficient digital CMOS routing.
"Digital TV broadcasts require a receiver that can pick up
a signal inside or outside a home in a variety of conditions, requiring
both dynamic and tunable range not seen in many other narrow band
wireless standards," said Pierre Favrat, chief executive officer
for Xceive, a developer of analog and digital terrestrial and mobile
TV Tuners. "Add to that the mobility required for a handheld
or cellular application and you have a complex set of factors impacting
the performance of the circuit. Jazz Semiconductor's SiGe BiCMOS
allowed us to achieve the required tuning and dynamic range, low
noise, high performance and digital integration in our multi-standard
tuner."
"Our focus on developing both 0.18 and 0.35 micron technology
platforms aligned with the needs of silicon tuner IC design was
a result of customer requirements in this market segment,"
said Paul Kempf, chief technology and strategy officer for Jazz
Semiconductor. "The recent adoption of our technologies by
a number of TV tuner IC companies validates the advantages of providing
the right feature combinations in an established technology with
lower up front costs that could result in quicker time to market
than a standard 0.13 micron CMOS approach."
About Jazz Semiconductor
Jazz Semiconductor is an independent wafer foundry focused primarily
on specialty CMOS process technologies, including SiGe BiCMOS and
RFCMOS for the manufacture of highly integrated analog and mixed-signal
semiconductor devices. Jazz’s executive offices and its U.S.
wafer fabrication facilities are located in Newport Beach, California.
Jazz has expanded its wafer capacity in China through manufacturing
partnerships with Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation
and Hua Hong NEC Electronics Co., Ltd. Contact Jazz Semiconductor
at www.jazzsemi.com
Jazz Company Contact
Jessica McNaughton
949/435-8086
jessica.mcnaughton@jazzsemi.com
Jazz Media Contact
Lauri Julian
Lages & Associates
949/453-8080
lauri@lages.com
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