GF announces 9SW RFSOI technology for mobile and 5G applications

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GlobalFoundries (GF) has announced advancements in the industry’s first RFSOI foundry solution manufactured on 300mm wafers.

Building upon its 8SW RFSOI technology and designed in collaboration with key customers, GF’s 9SW RFSOI technology is its most advanced RF solution and will, according to the company, offer significant improvements in performance, integration and area advantages in front-end modules (FEMs) for today’s 5G operating frequencies, as well as future 5G mobile and wireless communication applications, spanning Sub-8 GHz, mmWave and FR3.

GF’s 9SW technology offers a low-cost, low-power, highly flexible solution for RF Front End Applications, improving on 8SW with superior switching, low-noise amplifiers (LNA) and logic processing capabilities.

The technology features significant reduction in standby currents for longer battery life, creating products over 10% smaller than previous generations with more than 20% enhancement in efficiency through lower on-resistance and off-capacitance.

According to GF, the technology is more energy-efficient, lowering power consumption in both inactive and active states and it’s been designed to enable the features customers want most – extremely fast downloads and longer battery life with higher quality and longer-range connectivity.

“Wireless Connectivity comes in many shapes and sizes. GF has long standing leadership, in highly efficient wireless whether it’s short, medium, or long range. The ever-increasing reliance on 5G and smart mobile devices combined with the explosion of data necessitates more connectivity and improved efficiency. GF’s newest generation of industry-leading RF SOI technologies will allow us to meet the global demand for solutions that deliver more reliable seamless connectivity, while using significantly less power,” said GF President and CEO Dr. Thomas Caulfield.

The advanced 9SW technology will be manufactured on GF’s 300mm production line at its fabrication site in Singapore and will provide the industry with manufacturing capacity to meet expected market demand.