Peregrine Semiconductor Are Sampling The First RF Switches

Peregrine Semiconductor Corp of San Diego, CA, USA, a fabless provider of radio-frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) based on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology, and GLOBALFOUNDRIES Inc of Milpitas, CA, USA are sampling the first RF switches fabricated using Peregrine's new UltraCMOS 10 RF SOI process.

In a joint development effort, GLOBALFOUNDRIES and Peregrine created a unique fabrication flow for the 130nm UltraCMOS 10 technology platform. The new technology is claimed to deliver a performance improvement of more than 50% over comparable solutions. Peregrine says that UltraCMOS 10 offers smartphone makers flexibility and value without compromising quality for devices ranging from 3G through LTE networks.

The partnership with GLOBALFOUNDRIES "enables us to have a comprehensive technology roadmap with access to future-generation technologies," says Peregrine's CEO Jim Cable. "This joint-development partnership offers our customers new levels of product performance, reliability and scalability, and it enables us to push the envelope of integrated RF front-end innovation," he adds.

"Peregrine Semiconductor's leadership in RF SOI solutions makes the company an ideal partner as we expand our expertise and capabilities as part of our Singapore Vision 2015 initiative [announced in November 2012, to expand Singapore-based 300mm manufacturing capabilities to mixed-signal technologies]," comments GLOBALFOUNDRIES' CEO Ajit Manocha. "The joint development of a unique fabrication flow, coupled with Peregrine's RF expertise, allows us to produce the highest-performing RF SOI solution on the market," he claims.