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Key Foundry Begins Mass Production of Cubermotive’s Wide-Touch Semiconductors Through Hybrid Process
2021/12/22
Key Foundry Begins Mass Production of Cubermotive’s Wide-Touch Semiconductors Through Hybrid Process
SEOUL, South Korea, Dec. 22, 2021 – Key Foundry, the only pure-play foundry in Korea, announced today that it had begun the mass production of Cubermotive’s wide-touch semiconductors using a hybrid process, the company’s Gen2 0.13 micron embedded flash process combined with 30V high voltage (HV) options.
A recent trend in semiconductor designs is incorporating multiple functions in one product to provide more integrated semiconductor solutions. Wireless charger ICs are one example in which digital logic, analog blocks, power management, and other diverse functions are integrated into a single chip. To design and fabricate these multi-function products, hybrid processes which merge several different processes into one are essential. With increasing in integrated solution semiconductor demands, Key Foundry is offering various hybrid processes by adding BCD (Bipolar-CMOS-DMOS) or high voltage options to its embedded flash process to fabless customers.
As the only Korean foundry possessing in-house developed flash cells and IPs, Key Foundry has been applying its embedded flash processes to the fabrication of touch ICs, MCUs, auto-focus ICs, and other various products. The Gen2 0.13 micron embedded flash process has seven fewer steps than the Gen1 and is available in hybrid types with 20V HV, 30V HV, or 40V BCD options added. The one supporting Cubermotive’s wide-touch ICs is the 64Kbytes embedded flash with 30V HV options. HV hybrid processes distinctively maintain the characteristics and reliability of the original embedded flash process. In addition, the 40V BCD hybrid process is Grade-1 qualified under the ACE Q-100, the international automotive reliability standard, to apply to automotive products.
Cubermotive, a fabless startup whose strength lies in large, wide-touch screen sensor semiconductors, has been partnering with Key Foundry since 2017. With non-face-to-face communication becoming a norm during the COVID-19 pandemic, Cubermotive has been preparing wide-touch ICs for large touch displays for non-face-to-face ordering. While touch ICs can be sensitive enough at 3.3V, 5V or other low voltages in mobile applications with small displays, large-area touch sensing, as is the case with Cubermotive’s wide-touch ICs, needs 30V. Using Key Foundry’s hybrid process, the Gen2 embedded flash process with high voltage options, Cubermotive developed a product suitable for wide-touch applications, realizing multi-touch on 60-inch with three 20-inch grade wide-touch ICs. The company has already released in the market four types of touch ICs designed based on Key Foundry’s processes for mid-to-large displays, automotive, flexible OLEDs, wearables, and home appliances; it is now expanding the business with wide-touch ICs to kiosk ordering systems, gaming machines, POS systems, and smart home appliances.
“The wide-touch IC is the outcome of the partnership between Cubermotive and Key Foundry,” said Dongwon Lee, CEO of Cubermotive. “By adopting the new process of Key Foundry, we were able to enhance price competitiveness and reliability at the same time.” He continued, “With the beginning of mass production of large-area touch screen sensor semiconductors, we will continue expanding our R&D efforts to hole sensor chips, a key part of the e-vehicle, and communication chips for autonomous vehicles. We will keep working with Key Foundry to develop automotive products as well.”
Meanwhile, Key Foundry is developing a hybrid process by adding 120V BCD options to the Gen2 0.13 micron embedded process to accommodate the needs for diverse power semiconductors. It also plans to set up a 0.11micron embedded flash process by the end of Q2 2022 for products requiring 245Kbytes or higher density flashes. This newly developed process will be AEC Q-100 Grade-1 qualified for automotive application.
“We are pleased to offer our hybrid process to Cubermotive and begin the mass production of its wide-touch ICs,” said Dr. Tae Jong Lee, CEO of Key Foundry. “Key Foundry will continue staying sensitive to customers’ needs and develop and offer foundry services to satisfy their diverse design needs.”
About Key Foundry
Headquartered in Korea, Key Foundry provides specialty Analog and Mixed-Signal foundry services for semiconductor companies to serve a wide range of applications in the consumer, communications, computing, automotive and industrial industries. With a broad range of technology portfolio and process nodes, Key Foundry has the flexibility and capability to meet the ever-evolving needs of semiconductor companies across the globe. Please visit https://www.key-foundry.com for more information.
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