The agreement is said to encompass the development of ultra-low voltage, ultra-low power standard cell libraries, power management cells and memories, as well as the development of a qualification vehicle. The collaboration will also include cross licensing of related IP.
MIFS’ director Masahiro Chijiiwa said: “MIFS’ DDC technology offers best-in-class low voltage and low leakage operation. By working with CSEM we will be able to develop an ecosystem to make the benefits of this technology available widely to our partners.”
According to the partners, energy efficiency is crucial for wearable and IoT devices, but the conflicting requirements of miniaturisation along with longer battery life mean standard CMOS technologies are reaching their limits and new solutions are needed. They say low voltage operation is the best hope for significant improvements, while maintaining NRE costs in check.
DDC technology enables fabrication of low leakage transistors operating at supply voltages (Vdd) of less than 0.5V. It is also said to offer a better Vt mismatch and spread. When applied at the 40nm node, DDC and with mixed signal/RF and embedded NVM, are believed to enable cost effective and integrated analogue and RF SoCs for IoT/wearable platforms.
Alain-Serge Porret, CSEM’s VP of ultra low power integrated systems, added: “The partnership with MIFS is fully aligned with CSEM’s long-standing commitment to ultra low power design. We are thrilled to soon be able to add DDC based IP to our portfolio of solutions.”
