Angstrem prepares for 130-nm foundry move

MOSCOW — JSC Angstrem has partnered with a company to import a 0.13-micron process as the basis for a foundry operation.

Moscow-based Angstrem, one of the most sophisticated of Russia's set of semiconductor manufacturing survivors, also plans to divide the company into three parts, one for foundry and one for design — Angstrem-T and Angstrem-M respectively.

Anatoly Sukhoparov, chairman of the board, declined to name the partner company that is licensing technology to Angstrem. "It is not justified for us to develop technology. Naturally we cooperate with other companies. There are companies from which we license technology," Sukhoparov told a conference organized by industry trade organization SEMI.

Sukhoparov, told EE Times that the licensor was helping Angstrem to order in manufacturing equipment but that he was reluctant to name the licensor while export licenses for the equipment and other details remained outstanding. The process includes copper metalization

In his presentation Sukhoparov showed a timetable which would see first silicon running in am already constructed shell in June of 2008. The process is expected to be qualified in the third and fourth quarter of 2008 with volume manufacturing in 2009. In addition to the base CMOS Angstrem is working on mixed-signal and nonvolatile memory options for its foundry operations.

The shell was constructed by MZW and is reckoned to be capable of between 12,000 and 15,000 8-inch wafers starts per month at seven to nine layers of copper. "It depends on the number of masks," said Sukhoparov. He said that 18,000 to 20,000 wafer starts per month could be possible, but as the nature of the foundry fab would favor flexibility it would be hard to measure.

"Our major objective is to provide maximum engineering services and flexibility, Other foundries want high volume. We are trying to position ourselves as a foundry able to provide prototyping, characterization and then take customers to volume."