Copper process upgrades passives performance

HighQ IPD process technology is ideal for the production of passive devices - such as baluns, couplers and filters.

ON Semiconductor has expanded its advance process technology offerings to include HighQ copper (Cu) on silicon (Si) integrated passive device (IPD) manufacturing services.

This innovative 8in wafer technology delivers higher performance than less sophisticated Cu Si processes at a far better cost than expensive ultra-high-performance gold (Au) on gallium arsenide (GaAs) based passive products.

ON Semiconductor's HighQ IPD process technology is ideal for the production of passive devices - such as baluns, couplers and filters - that are used in portable and wireless applications where higher performance equates to longer battery life.

"Until now, designers have had to sacrifice performance when choosing passive devices for their board designs in order to deliver cost competitive, consumer products", says Rich Carruth, General Manager of Manufacturing Services for ON Semiconductor.

"Gold on GaAs passives deliver the preferred performance, but are often entirely too cost prohibitive for use in high volume consumer products like cellphones and other wireless devices".

"Typical copper on Si passives offer a better cost than GaAs, but performance has lagged".

"Passive devices based on ON Semiconductor's HighQ process provide designers a valuable third option - higher Q than typical Cu Si at a much more competitive price than GaAs".

The IPD process is run in ON Semiconductor's world class 200mm manufacturing facility located in the USA.

The facility features best-in-class prototype and production cycle times and features hi-tech yield and failure analysis equipment and systems.

The HighQ process technology offers thick copper inductors, MIM capacitors (0.62fF/um2) and TiN resistors (9ohm/square).

It is a proven reliable process that will meet the full suite of reliability evaluations to demonstrate the robustness of the solution.

"ON Semiconductor is offering its HighQ manufacturing services to customers with ready-for-production product and customers needing custom product designs", says Carruth.

"Our rapid prototyping enables a customer to move from design to manufactured silicon in as little as six weeks".

Among the products that can best use the HighQ process technology are baluns, filters, and filter/couplers for portable and wireless applications.

ON Semiconductor is currently developing a line of HighQ, high bandwidth filters for electromagnetic interference (EMI) reduction applications on high speed serial interfaces.

Samples will be available this summer with production scheduled to ramp in the fourth quarter of 2007.

ON Semiconductor has a full-featured design kit for the IPD technology, available for the company's manufacturing services customers to use.

This design kit enables efficient simulation to actual first silicon results and includes standard Cadence design tools.

The design kit is a key enabler to the rapid prototyping capabilities ON Semiconductor is offering to potential customers.

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