MagnaChip Expands into Emerging RF Front-End Module Foundry Market with SOI RF CMOS Technology

SEOUL, South Korea and CUPERTINO, Calif., July 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- MagnaChip Semiconductor Corporation ("MagnaChip") (NYSE: MX), a Korea-based designer and manufacturer of analog and mixed-signal semiconductor products, and the National Nano Fab Center ("NNFC") have entered into an SOI RF CMOS technology transfer agreement which combines MagnaChip's specialty manufacturing expertise with NNFC's robust RF technology. The two companies have targeted expansion into the emerging RF front-end module ("FEM") foundry market.

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The technology agreement transfers 0.18um SOI RF CMOS process technology to MagnaChip. This process technology is a core component of cellular phone FEMs. FEMs can replace existing compound semiconductor and silicon solutions with approximately 30% reduced manufacturing process steps. This  reduces manufacturing cost, accelerates time to market, while addressing the specific needs of 2/3/4G and LTE cellular systems.

The SOI RF CMOS technology is optimized for use in RF switches and antenna tuning applications, which have rapidly expanded as a result of the recent development trends in multiband and multimode cellular phone designs. In addition to offering excellent switch performance, this technology enables a high level of integration including control, logic, monitoring and power. The resulting FEMs are lighter, thinner, smaller compared to FEMs using compound semiconductor and can be integrated with digital tunable capacitors, which are key elements of RF tuning circuits. As we look further into the future, FEMs may eventually be integrated with power amplifiers, leading to a single-chip CMOS FEM solutions.

Jae Young Lee, President of NNFC commented, "This technology transfer is an example of the successful technology development work done at NNFC which can be applied to commercial production.  NNFC, which is a government-sponsored R&D center, uniquely defined this technology platform. Going forward, NNFC will continue to lend its support to MagnaChip to ensure the continued success of the SOI RF CMOS foundry process technology."  

"The technology transfer of NNFC's 0.18um SOI RF CMOS is a significant addition to MagnaChip's growing list of process offerings that are available to its specialty foundry customers," said Namkyu Park, Senior Vice President of Marketing for MagnaChip's Semiconductor Manufacturing Services Division.  "Our goal is to continue to offer the latest in differentiated technologies to meet the needs of our customers and partners in the fast-changing semiconductor market."

About National Nano Fab Center
NNFC is the public institute invested by central, local government and KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) in Korea. The main mission is to provide and offer fabrication services to academia, research institutes and industry. NNFC has a nano-fusion infrastructure based on CMOS, MEMS, BIO-MEMS, NANO Materials and Analysis division. For more information, please visit www.nnfc.re.kr.  

About MagnaChip Semiconductor
Headquartered in South Korea, MagnaChip Semiconductor is a Korea-based designer and manufacturer of analog and mixed-signal semiconductor products for high volume consumer applications. MagnaChip Semiconductor believes it has one of the broadest and deepest ranges of analog and mixed-signal semiconductor platforms in the industry, supported by its 30-year operating history, a large portfolio of registered and pending patents, and extensive engineering and manufacturing process expertise. For more information, please visit www.magnachip.com.

SOURCE MagnaChip Semiconductor Corporation