Key Foundry Initiates Mass Production of Power Semiconductors Using 0.18 Micron High-Voltage BCD Process

Seoul, South Korea, February 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Key Foundry, Korea’s only pure foundry, today announced that it has begun mass production using its high voltage 0.18 micron BCD (Bipolar-CMOS-DMOS) process. ).

BCD is a process technology that integrates bipolar for analog signal control, CMOS for digital signal control, and DMOS for high voltage processing on a single chip. It applies to various power semiconductor products with advantages such as high voltage, high reliability and low electronic interference. As the decrease in the size of electronic device systems and the increase in power efficiency have become more prominent recently, the need for suitable power semiconductors is increasing and the demand for BCDs is increasing accordingly.

Key Foundry offers a 0.18 micron BCD process for power devices operating over a wide voltage range from 8V to 150V. In particular, 100 V or 150 V level HV power supply devices are suitable for improving the performance of battery charging integrated circuits in smartphones or laptops. Battery charging with USB Type-C connectors as an example, the power transfer of a charger IC designed with the previous 60V BCD process can be 100 watts at best, but the transfer can increase up to 240 watts if the charger IC is designed with the 150V BCD process. These HV devices can also be used to design driver ICs for high power industrial motors. Key Foundry plans to continue perfecting its HV device technology to offer 200V-level HV devices applicable to high-power voltage converter ICs for communications and industrial equipment in the second half.

Key Foundry provides low ON resistance devices in the 0.18 micron 150V BCD to help its fabless customers reduce chip size while improving power efficiency. For power control and output tuning, Key Foundry also provides optional memory devices such as SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), MTP (Multi-Time Programmable Memory) and OTP (One Time Programmable Memory). Key Foundry also provides customers with hall effect sensor devices needed for precision motor control to enable high performance motor driver IC designs.

Key Foundry helps fabless customers develop and mass-produce fast charger ICs, AC-DC ICs, DC-DC ICs, motor driver ICs, and Power over Ethernet ICs ( PoE) for smartphones, laptops and many home appliances using this BCD process. In addition, this BCD process satisfies Grade 0 of AEC-Q100, the international standard for reliability testing of automotive electronic parts, and it can also be used for automotive motor driver ICs, DC ICs -CC and LED driver ICs.

“The demand for 100V or higher voltage BCD technology is increasing recently in the power semiconductor market to achieve high-speed power transmission and high energy efficiency. Especially, with a few foundries offering a 100V or more voltage BCD process using available bulk-type silicon wafers, launching mass production of 0.18 micron 150V BCD technology without using SOI substrates has significant significance,” said Dr. Tae Jong Lee, CEO of Key Foundry. “Key Foundry will continue to develop process technologies to meet the needs of power semiconductor design companies.

About Key Foundry

Based in Korea, Key Foundry provides specialized analog and mixed-signal foundry services for semiconductor companies to serve a wide range of applications in the consumer, communications, computing, electronics, and electronics industries. automotive and industry. With a broad range of technology portfolios and process nodes, Key Foundry has the flexibility and capability to meet the ever-changing needs of semiconductor companies around the world. Please visit https://www.key-foundry.com for more information.