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Impinj and UMC Align to Deliver
Logic NVM Cores on 0.18um and
0.13um Process Technologies
Proven Technology Enables Standard
Logic CMOS Integration with
No Additional Processing
SEATTLE, Wash., and HSINCHU, Taiwan, Feb. 27, 2006 - Impinj,
Inc., the fabless semiconductor company whose patented Self-Adaptive
Silicon technology
enables its intellectual property (IP) products business and UMC
(NYSE: UMC, TSE: 2303), a world-leading semiconductor foundry, today
announced a strategic partnership to deliver Impinj's AEON
family of embedded nonvolatile memory (NVM) cores for UMC's 0.18um
and 0.13um CMOS technologies. AEON NVM cores require no additional
masks or processing steps for seamless integration into UMC's processes,
resulting in shortened time-to-market for customers incorporating
AEON memory into their SoC designs.
Several large, high growth semiconductor markets such as display
drivers, power management controllers, RF ICs, and secure media
applications require new features and functionality that drive the
need for low bit-count embedded NVM. By offering Impinj's AEON product
family with UMC's standard logic CMOS processing, fabless semiconductor
companies in these markets will benefit from silicon IP that can
be easily integrated into their designs using UMC's process technologies.
"As the demand for embedded NVM continues to increase, we
are pleased to partner with a foundry such as UMC," said Larry
Morrell, Vice President of IP Products, Impinj. "Impinj and
UMC are collaborating to bring state-of-the-art IP to UMC's customers.
By offering our IP on UMC's industry leading processes we provide
semiconductor designers access to the nonvolatile memory they need
in the process technology they want."
"UMC continues to expand its IP offerings to meet the needs
of customers designing today's sophisticated SoCs. ," saidKen
Liou, director of the IP and Design Support division at UMC. "Impinj's
technology is a welcome addition to our portfolio, as it will provide
designers with a silicon proven NVM option for their 0.18um and
0.13um designs. We are pleased to offer the ease-of-integration
and performance benefits of this IP to our customers."
Impinj and UMC will jointly qualify AEON/MTP and AEON/HV products
in UMC's 0.18um and 0.13um technology nodes. The products provide
true multiple-times programmable NVM with up to 100,000 programming
cycles, support for high voltage I/O, 10-year retention, and bit-counts
from 8 bits up to 8,000 bits.
About Impinj, Inc.
Impinj, Inc. is a fabless semiconductor company whose patented Self-Adaptive
Silicon technology
enables its two synergistic business lines: high performance RFID
products and semiconductor intellectual property. A leading contributor
to the RFID standards for high volume supply-chain applications
worldwide, Impinj leverages its technical expertise and industry
partnerships to deliver the GrandPrixTM solution, comprising
tags, readers, software and systems integration to offer RFID that
just worksTM. Impinj's innovative IP products, core to
the company's RFID tags, are licensed to leading semiconductor companies
worldwide, allowing them to seamlessly integrate crucial nonvolatile
memory (NVM) alongside analog and digital functionality on a single
chip. Impinj's IP products include the popular AEON
family of embeddable cores, which provide rewriteable NVM technology
in logic CMOS manufacturing. For more information, visit www.impinj.com.
About UMC
UMC (NYSE: UMC, TSE: 2303) is a leading global semiconductor foundry
that manufactures advanced process ICs for applications spanning
every major sector of the semiconductor industry. UMC delivers cutting-edge
foundry technologies that enable sophisticated system-on-chip (SoC)
designs, including volume production 90nm, industry-leading 65nm,
and mixed signal/RFCMOS. UMC's 10 wafer manufacturing facilities
include two advanced 300mm fabs; Fab 12A in Taiwan and Singapore-based
Fab 12i are both in volume production for a variety of customer
products. The company employs approximately 12,000 people worldwide
and has offices in Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Europe, and the United
States. UMC can be found at www.umc.com.
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