IBM Corp.’s Microelectronics Division last week introduced its first standard, high-volume chip based on the company’s silicon germanium manufacturing process.
The company said the new standard chips can be used in cellular phones, pagers and other wireless communications devices to provide extended battery life, support for multiple functions, smaller sizes and lower costs.
The first chips, said the company, are basic components found in most wireless product designs, such as low-noise amplifiers, voltage-controlled oscillators, power amplifiers and discrete transistors. The chips are scheduled to ship by the end of the year or the beginning of next year.
Silicon germanium has been used in several more specialized products for companies such as Hughes Electronics, Harris Semiconductor and Nortel Networks, said William O’Leary, a spokesman for IBM. The challenge has been to demonstrate that silicon germanium can be used in high-volume components as well, he said.
The silicon germanium process is said to have several benefits compared with standard silicon technology, including higher-performance processing to accelerate switching speeds, support of high frequencies up to 120 GHz for data applications, smaller device designs and higher levels of function integration. Silicon germanium initially was used as an alternative high-speed chip material for mainframe computing, said the company.
IBM said it expects silicon germanium will accelerate the integration of wireless phones, e-mail and Internet access functions to create a new breed of handheld “information appliances.”
“Semiconductors used in high-volume communications devices typically require a combination of high-speed, low noise and low power that places unique demands on designs and materials that can’t be addressed by traditional chip technologies,” said the company. “Prior to IBM’s ability to mass produce silicon germanium, manufacturers had to rely on more costly, power-hungry and exotic technologies such as gallium arsenide to manage the high-speed signals transmitted via wireless communications devices.”
IBM does not manufacture gallium arsenide chips, said O’Leary.
IBM has made several announcements during the last several months that signal an increasing focus on the wireless telecommunications arena. The company in June announced plans to invest $100 million in initiatives designed to expand its presence in the custom microchip business, and in February, IBM acquired CommQuest Technologies Inc., a company that designs semiconductors for wireless communications applications.
CommQuest Technologies last month said IBM’s silicon germanium process has helped it move significantly toward its goal of offering a Global System for Mobile communications phone-on-a-chip within a few years.
