X-FAB's 0.8 um Process Family Now for 42-Volt PowerNet

    ERFURT & MUNICH, Germany--Nov. 12, 2002--X-FAB Semiconductor Foundries AG, an independent mixed-signal foundry, today announced it is offering its customers a new 0.8 um process CX08 for the 42-Volt PowerNet in automotive applications. Effective immediately, this development follows the trend in the automobile electronics industry towards deploying systems for 42-Volt supply voltage.
    "The newly developed 'Extended High Voltage Module' is specially tailored to the demands of the 42V PowerNet," said Brendan Bold, director of Technology Development for X-FAB. "New elements of our 0.8 um process include NMOS and PMOS transistors with gate-to-drain breakdown voltage of over 80V allowing operating voltages of up to 60V."
    The 0.8 um process CX08 for the 42-Volt PowerNet contains a special feature for the smooth integration of 5-Volt logic with high-voltage drivers on a single chip. Made possible by the implementation of several wells that are isolated from each other, this new feature is called the "Triple well concept."
    In addition, the existing "High Voltage Module" will contain NMOS and PMOS transistors for applications up to 25V with minimal switch-on resistance and space requirements. Available immediately, other extensions include an "ESD Implant Module" which enables I/O levels resisting up to 8kV, as well as the "Optical Window Module" for optical devices that allows for homogeneous light distribution onto diode surfaces.
    The new modules possess the proven compatibility of the 0.8 um technology family including the utilization of all existing libraries. Circuits that have been successfully designed before may be used again risk-free to save valuable design time. At the same time, customers profit from the newly added 0.8 um properties that increase the performance and functionality of their chip. A complete design kit is already available. The "Extended High Voltage Module" is also planned to be transferred to the 0.6 um process family within the next few months.

    About X-FAB

    X-FAB, with headquarters in Erfurt, Germany, is a European, independent mixed-signal foundry. The company has -- with X-FAB UK (Plymouth, UK) and sister company X-FAB Texas Inc. (Lubbock, Texas) -- three manufacturing sites, with a combined capacity of more than 8,000 8-inch equivalent wafer starts per week. X-FAB has more than 900 employees worldwide.
    Further information is available at http://www.xfab.com.