Dongbu's CMOS Process Slashes Chip Footprint By 40%
Dongbu HiTek has announced that its specialised Analogue
CMOS Process (AN180X) is being used to manufacture DC-DC converters for
Enpirion Inc., a developer of integrated power IC solutions.
Specifying a chip area that is 40 percent smaller than
competing alternatives at comparable performance, the new 12V converter family
underscores Enpirion's focus on miniaturising DC-DC power systems for
telecommunications, enterprise, industrial, embedded computing and storage
applications.
Enpirion claims that its new EN2300 converter family, implemented with Dongbu HiTek's AN180X process, achieves the industry's best Figure of Merit (FOM = Gate Charge x On-state Resistance) to operate at high frequencies while reducing switching losses. In particular, the 12V RF-LDMOS transistors used in the AN180X process specify a cut-off frequency of 37.7GHz, claimed to be the highest level ever reached for this class of converters.
Innovative Analogue CMOS techniques such as those embodied
in Dongbu HiTek's AN180X process at the 180nm node promise to drive higher
levels of power integration in the DC-DC converter market, and thereby expand
market opportunities.
Market research firm iSuppli said the worldwide market for DC-DC converter ICs is forecast to grow from approximately $9.5 billion in 2011 to about $13.2 billion in 2016, representing a CAGR of about 6.8% over the five year period.
Dongbu HiTek recently presented a technical paper on
the innovative RF-LDMOS structures developed for its AN180X process at the 24th
annual International Symposium on Power Semiconductor Devices (ISPD '12) which
took place last week in Belgium.
