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UMC
GROUP ROLLS OUT 0.18-MICRON FOUNDRY SERVICES
Leading IP and
EDA Vendors Align to Support Foundry Industry's Most Advanced Process
Sunnyvale,
Calif. ˇXJanuary 25, 1999ˇXUMC Group today announced that it is
engaging with customers for 0.18-micron foundry services. The announcement
heralds the availability of design kits and physical designs for
0.18-micron libraries customized to UMC Group's 0.18-micron process
technology.
The customized
libraries cover standard cells, I/Os, and memory compilers for the
UMC Group Gold LogicTM L180 process. They are available free-of-charge
to the customer from Artisan Components and Mentor Graphics, and
allow designers to begin their 0.18-micron designs today. These
are the first 0.18-micron libraries to be available free-of-charge
to foundry customers, and the only ones to offer free technical
support directly from the library vendor.
"UMC Group
is clearly taking the leadership role for 0.18-micron foundry services.
We were the first to deliver 0.18-micron functional prototypes,
the first to deliver free 0.18-micron libraries, and the only foundry
to have a 0.18-micron test-chip program available at a nominal charge
to customers. Our early collaboration with the leading names in
the library, IP, and EDA tool community is evidence that we are
widely recognized within the industry for our accomplishments in
technology development and very deep sub-micron foundry services,"
said Jim Kupec, president of UMC Group (USA).
In addition
to its library program, UMC Group has joint-development projects
to deliver silicon-verified extraction files with Avant!, Mentor,
Simplex and Synopsy for the L180 process. These will greatly increase
the probability that complex SOC designs achieve first time working
silicon. UMC Group also provides customers with a comprehensive
catalog of IP that addresses the cost and time-to-market concerns
of designers for UMC Group's 0.18-micron technology. Many of these
IP mega-cell blocks are available at deep discounts exclusively
to UMC Group customers.
Jim Kupec continued,
"For the first time, fabless semiconductor companies can compete
head-to-head with industry giants in terms of production technology
capabilities, and the free-of-charge libraries remove a significant
barrier that faces IC design houses with limited resources and pressing
time-to-market concerns. We believe that there will be a strong
demand for 0.18-micron capacity, and we see the crossover from 0.25
to 0.18-micron technology, from a cost perspective, happening early
in the year 2000. Since complex system-on-chip (SOC) designs require
one year or more to complete, the availability of libraries and
tools today will allow a wide range of customers to begin their
designs in time to maximize profits."
The Silicon
Shuttle test chip program is a critical piece in UMC Group's 0.18-micron
foundry solution. It is the primary program for silicon verification
for the L180 process. Customers tape-out their 0.18-micron prototypes
at a nominal charge, greatly reducing their risk by allowing pre-production
silicon verification. UMC Group is the only foundry to offer this
type of service for 0.18-micron. The Silicon Shuttle is also offered
free-of-charge to IP and Library vendors wishing to make their products
available to UMC Group foundry customers. The first 0.18um Silicon
Shuttle test wafers taped-out in Q4 1998 carrying test chips for
a wide range of applications including graphic chips, CPUs and FPGAs.
The next Silicon Shuttle will tape-out soon.
Perhaps the
most reassuring aspect of UMC Group's 0.18-micron process, from
a customer perspective, is the fact that it has already been proven
in test production. Leading fabless companies, including S3 and
Xilinx, have worked in close coordination with the UMC Group Technology
Development Department to produce chips using the L180 process.
UMC Group has delivered these chips, and functional prototypes have
already been characterized.
UMC Group will
ramp volume production for the L180 process in late March. The performance
of the L180 process will be further enhanced by the incorporation
of UMC Group's Dual Damascene Copper interconnect and Low-K dielectric
technology in Q3 1999.
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