Microwave Journal
www.microwavejournal.com/articles/4626-vitesse-is-first-to-offer-inp-hbt-foundry-services

Vitesse is First to Offer InP HBT Foundry Services

March 1, 2003

Committed to advancing the use of indium phosphide (InP) for IC applications, Vitesse Semiconductor Corp. announced it is the first company to provide InP HBT foundry services through MOSIS, a leading provider of low cost prototyping and small-volume production services for IC (and optical IC) development. By working directly with MOSIS, customers will have access to Vitesse's proprietary InP VIP-1™ technology. The VIP-1 process includes high performance SHBT devices with other active and passive devices, and multiple levels of metal interconnect. This process has been qualified for production usage and has an expected turn around time for prototype circuits of 13 weeks, which is more than two times faster than competitive technologies such as SiGe. InP foundry services from Vitesse and MOSIS are available today, with quarterly fabrication runs initially planned.


The VIP-1 process offers circuit designers the benefit of both high speed and high voltage operation suitable for digital, analog and RF circuits at 10 GHz or higher. The process uses four-inch diameter semi-insulated substrates and is designed for high performance and high yield. The key active device is a SHBT, characterized by ft = 150 GHz, fmax = 150 GHz (at Ic = 1 mA/µm) and BVCEO in excess of 4.5 V. The process also includes resistors and capacitors, and three layers of metal interconnect. Device models and design rules are supported in the Cadence design environment and the robust process support junction temperatures of 125°C.

"Vitesse is building on its past success in the manufacturing of III-V integrated circuits to make a cost-effective InP IC technology available to a broad user base. The access to volume manufacturing capability at a low cost and fast turn around time is key to the wide spread adoption and usage of InP technology," said Ray Milano, vice president of Physical Media Devices at Vitesse.

The silicone-like interconnect and volume-manufacturing capability developed by Vitesse makes this process technology ideal for many applications requiring the performance or opto-electronic properties of InP such as high voltage drivers, high frequency amplifiers, high speed DACs and ADCs, adaptive RF electronics, automotive radar, low loss waveguides and optical components such as photo-detectors. Circuits that were developed using this process, including Vitesse's 10 Gbps RZ modulator driver, 4:1 MUX and limiting amplifier, have already been deployed into commercial telecommunications systems.

MOSIS will provide access to device models and design rules as well as reticle composition and overall schedule coordination. The circuit elements provided will include continuously scaleable parameterized cell transistors, resistors and capacitors, and ESD structures. Models are also available in ADS for microwave circuit design activities. For more information, contact foundry@vitesse.com or mosis-info@mosis.org.