180nm BCD-on-SOI technology supports 375V operating voltage

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X-Fab Silicon Foundries, the analogue/mixed-signal and specialty foundry, is making available second generation XT018 superjunction high-voltage (HV) primitive devices.

These devices cover a voltage range from 45V to 375V and are targeted at applications such as medical ultrasound transmitter/receiver ICs and AC line powered IoT sensors.

The new complementary NMOS/PMOS devices are based on the company’s XT018 advanced 180nm BCD-on-SOI platform with deep trench isolation (DTI). Fully qualified for an extended temperature range of -40˚C to +175˚C, they can be incorporated into automotive AEC-Q100 Grade 0 products.

They deliver industry-leading on-resistance (R(ds)on) figures, while still providing robust safe-operating areas for R(ds)on, Idsat and Vt. The complete voltage range up to 375V is covered via use of a single process module.

According to X-Fab, BCD-on-SOI technologies are attractive to designers because of their superior attributes when compared to bulk BCD technologies. Key benefits of this approach include effectively latch-up free circuits, enhanced EMC performance and simplified handling of below ground transients. BCD-on-SOI allows significant die size area reductions, resulting in cost advantages over bulk BCD.

For the first time, customers will be able to design highly integrated ICs which can be directly powered from 230V AC mains. This opens up an alternative power option to the increasing number of IoT edge nodes now starting to be deployed – allowing the power budget constraints of battery use to be avoided. Combined with the qualified XT018 eFlash, smart IoT device implementations are also now possible.

With medical ultrasound transmitter/receiver ICs requiring well-matched HV NMOS and PMOS devices in terms of their R(ds)on and Idsat, X-Fab has also released a new low R(ds)on PMOS module. This module comes with new PMOS primitive devices capable of supporting operating voltages up to 235V. These HV PMOS primitive devices feature a 40% reduction in R(ds)on compared to regular 2nd generation superjunction PMOS devices.

According to Joerg Doblaski, X-Fab’s CTO, “The qualification of our leading 180nm BCD-on-SOI technology platform up to 400V is a big step for X-Fab and our customers. With the flexibility to freely float low and high-voltage primitive devices, our customers will be empowered to design a wide variety of new innovative products.”