GlobalFoundries aims for high volume 28nm manufacturing
1 min read
GlobalFoundries has announced it is to enter the 28nm process arena and has taped out a qualification vehicle based on ARM's Cortex-A9 dual processor.
According to the semiconductor foundry, it is an industry first on 28nm high-K metal gate (hkmg) technology.
Globalfoundries says this so-called 'technology qualification vehicle' (tqv) will allow it to optimise its 28nm hkmg process for customer designs based on the next generation dual core ARM processor.
The jointly developed tqv reached the tapeout stage in August at GlobalFoundries' Fab 1 in Dresden, Germany and was a part of a collaboration with ARM announced last year. Silicon results are expected back from the fab in late 2010.
The tqv design uses an optimised ARM Cortex-A9 physical IP suite, including a range of standard cell libraries, cache memory macros for L1 and memories in other areas. It is designed to emulate a product-like SoC.
"As the industry adopts increasingly advanced process technologies, there is a growing need for close collaboration between design and manufacturing," said Simon Segars, ARM, executive vice president and general manager, Physical IP Division. "The combination of ARM's leading physical IP solutions and Globalfoundries' proven experience in high volume manufacturing will deliver a powerful platform for innovation. Our partnership will enable customers to rapidly bring high-performance, low power ARM technology-based designs to market on 28nm hkmg technology."
