Touting its ‘Gate First’ High-k Metal Gate (HKMG) process technology as a simpler approach to that of Intel’s, Globalfoundries will start accepting 28nm customer and third party IP designs in Q1, 2010 on its new shuttle service. Actual production is planned for the second half of 2010. The foundry also said that its yield progress at the 32nm node was now in the double-digit levels and on path to 50% natural yields by year-end, using 24Mb SRAMs as reference fabrication devices.
“When compared against the 45nm-SHP technology we’re currently running in Fab 1, we’re seeing performance improvements of up to 50 percent in the 32nm generation at the same leakage levels of the 45nm generation,” said Jim Doran, senior vice president and general manager of Fab 1 at GLOBALFOUNDRIES. “When you combine this with our patented Automated Precision Manufacturing (APM) technology and exceptionally low defect densities, we believe we’ll be in the leading position among foundries to bring this technology to market in volume for our customers.”
Globalfoundries also claimed that its 28nm technology would enable the smallest SRAM cell size (0.120 µm2) currently reported in the foundry industry.