X-FAB Silicon Foundries has announced that it has reduced flicker noise on its mixed-signal 0.35 and 0.18µm CMOS process platforms. Flicker noise in CMOS MOSFETs has claimed to have been reduced in both the n-channel device in the XH035 0.35µm process and the p-channel device in the XH018 0.18µm process by a factor of five, setting an industry benchmark.
The XH035 3.3V n-channel MOSFET has a lower flicker noise comparable to that of its companion XH035 3.3V p-channel MOSFET, when referenced to its input, and maintains the standard n-channel MOSFET’s threshold voltage and current drive capability. Using both types of low-noise transistors it is possible to design improved, lower-noise amplifier variants with a higher signal-to-noise ratio, and to make circuits that are more compact with better performance and are more cost-effective.
Similarly, the 0.18µm process XH018 3.3V p-channel MOSFET exhibits a lower flicker noise level than the standard p-channel device. The XH018 3.3V p-channel device behaviour now is similar to that of the XH035 3.3V p-channel MOSFET device.
"For years X-FAB has set the benchmark for low-noise transistors with our p-channel MOSFET transistor in our 0.35µm technology,” Dr Jens Kosch, chief technical officer at X-FAB, explained. “When our customers asked for additional low-noise transistors, we developed our XH035 low-noise n-channel MOS transistor and our XH018 p-channel MOS transistor.
“The combination of the complementary XH035 n- and p-channel transistors offers designers more freedom in their circuit designs. No longer are they limited to only a low-noise p-channel device, and they benefit from having no additional mask layer expense. In addition, the new XH018 p-channel device makes it possible to develop noise-critical designs for 0.18µm processes.”
Pic: Dr Jens Kosch, chief technical officer at X-FAB
Author
Tom Austin-Morgan
Source: www.newelectronics.co.uk