This document provides an overview of SOI-based applications and examples. It discusses how SOI enables lower power, higher performance, and smaller, faster, cooler chips that can operate in harsh environments. Examples include the IBM Z13 mainframe and Casio G-Shock watches. FD-SOI is gaining traction with companies like STMicroelectronics, GlobalFoundries, and Samsung offering it. Applications discussed include automotive, Internet of Things, mobile, and more.

1. Adele Hars, ASN Editor-in-Chief
Shanghai, March 2015
SOI-Based
Applications
A brief overview, and some
examples.

2. SOI – Making a Difference
● Lower power. Yes.
● Higher performance. Yes.
● Smaller, faster, cooler. Yes.
● Able to go into hot and noisy places. Yes.
But what does that mean for the end products?

3. Partially-depleted still lives, and fully-depleted is
older than you might think
IBM Z13, announced January 2015.
Handles 2.5 billion transactions a day.
Power processor on 22nm partially
depleted SOI.
Casio G-Shock, gets power from the
sun and time from an atomic clock.
Chip by Oki on fully depleted SOI.
Introduced in 2005.

4. FD-SOI – Is it really happening?
● ST says they have 18 design wins as of January
2015.
● Synapse Design has worked on 7 projects and
sees more coming in.
● Verisilicon has some in the pipeline.
● GlobalFoundries has indicated they have
customers lined up.
● Samsung is offering it on a foundry basis.
Now finally, people are starting to talk.

5. FD-SOI: Who's talking?
The Sony 28nm GPS
January 2015, Sony revealed that the
company’s next-generation Global
Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)
chip will be on 28nm FD-SOI.
Power consumption is reduced by 10x
over the previous generation, making it
appropriate for IoT and wearables.
You can get Sony's technical
presentation at
www.soiconsortium.org.

6. FD-SOI: Who's talking?
Freescale, Cisco, Ciena
Freescale's next-generation i.MX 7
heterogeneous multicore SoloX
application processors will be on 28nm
FD-SOI. Featuring device-level
security, they are being pitched to
“secure” IoT applications, including
automotive (telematics, V2V, entry-
level infotainment) and smart devices
(healthcare, home appliances and
factory automation).
Cisco and Ciena also announce 28nm
FD-SOI chips in the pipeline.
(EETimes)

7. Ciena at SOI Forum San Francisco, Feb 2015

8. FD-SOI: Who's talking?
Fabless startups.
SFARDS, a Beijing-based start-up
announced in February 2015 that their
new cryptocurrency solution would
incorporate a 28nm FD-SOI ASIC for
low power & high performance.The test
results of their first silicon in April 2015
were even better than expected, with
working voltage at 0.45V.
http://www.sfards.com/blog

9. Foundries mean business.
● We know of three foundries for FD-SOI for now:
– ST – not high volume, but driving the
technology
– Samsung – partnered with ST, has the high-
volume capacity
– GlobalFoundries – has not officially
announced, but is presenting their plans at
conferences
● If they're offering it, it's because they have
customers.

10. Samsung at SOI Forum in San Francisco, Feb 2015
1
1

11. GlobalFoundries at SOI Consortium Conference – Shanghai Sep 2014

12. FD-SOI on the Road With ST
● Note that ST also some SOI-based BCD for automotive & power apps

13. SOI substrates for IoT & more
Courtesy: Soitec

14. RF-SOI – everybody's doing it

15. RF-SOI full adoption
In 100% of the SmartPhone - Worldwide foundry offering
switch
Source: Navian, Dec 2014 Source: Navian, Dec 2014
More than 15 foundries, Soitec estimates
…
4/15/15Confidential 17

16. Fabless and foundries are constantly improving design and process performance to meet LTE-A requirements
• Foundry process
Source: A. Joshi, Skyworks, S3S conference 2014
• RF-SOI in most advanced LTE-A SmartPhone
– iPhone 6 RF-SOI content(Soitec estim ates)
– In 8 ICs: SKW S – RFMD – Avago – Murata - Triquint
4/15/15Confidential 18

18. RF-SOI – automotive & telematics?
Broadcomm slide from
Semicon China 2015

19. Automotive apps – a motor for SOI

20. Automotive – NXP Drives SOI
Everywhere
NXP SOI-based chips are in cars
from virtually every brand in the
world
For in-vehicle networking,
audio, headlights, sensors,
entertainment
With Freescale acquisition, NXP is #1 in auto
High growth market.
Today: 800 chips/car.
In 2020: 1000 chips/car.

21. Denso: >20 years of SOI for
Automotive in Japan
Denso began using SOI in 1994.
Denso and Toyota developed this SOI-
based power supply management
ECU. It calculates the battery charge
rate and internal resistance using
battery voltage and current. When the
battery charge rate is low, the ECU
increases the alternator’s adjustment
voltage for generating electricity or
raises the engine revolutions during
idling to stimulate battery charging.
(Courtesy: Denso, Toyota)

22. Automotive SOI in Japan – Toyota's
Long History
In 2004, Toyota developed SOI-
based technology for electronic
control units (ECUs).The starting
substrate is a 200mm bonded-SOI
wafer, with a very thick (12 μm) top
silicon layer, specially tailored to
Toyota's design, which reduced chip
cost. Range of ICs included throttle
control, suspension control, body
control, hybrid control and brake
control. Courtesy: Toyota

23. Automotive: Size Matters
Compared to bulk BCDMOS, Atmel found its SOI-based SMART-I.S.
Technology benefits include:
● significant chip size reduction, which reduces packaging costs & overall system costs
● improved EMC: drastic reduction in the influence of parasitic effects
● reduced standby current no latch-up effects
● high energy efficiency: leakage current is up to two orders of magnitude lower
● very high temperature operation (up to TJunction =200°C)
● 30% reduction in on-resistance (Ron) of the driver stages
● improved device characteristics, since the PN-junction isolation is replaced by oxide
isolation.

24. Automotive SOI at Atmel: Comfort &
Best-of-Class
Unlike standalone transceivers, Atmel’s
LIN* system basis chips (SBC) include a
voltage regulator plus a watchdog, enabling
a very small footprint and a 25% reduction
in system cost.
These chips target “comfort” applications
such as door modules, seat control or
intelligent sensors, as well as powertrain
applications such as engine control
systems.
*LIN = industry standard for in-vehicle
networking, especially for decentralized
implementations.
Atmel credits its SOI technology with its
benchmark-setting EMI performance and
best-in-class ESD protection.

25. MEMS – for the Road, for Time
Courtesy: Leti, Freescale Courtesy: SiTime

26. MEMS – For Better Living
Debiotech & ST – insulin for diabetes
Tronics accelerometer for a
pacemaker

27. Sensors – SOI Makes Sense
Courtesy: Gefran
Courtesy: NXP

28. SOI Power Gets Smart
ConclusionMarket BCDMOS SOI
Courtesy: Soitec

29. Power for Control
Infineon's IBGT's for
motor control in white
goods
The Infineon EiceDRIVER™
Compact family supports a
broad range of applications with
MOSFETs as well as IGBTs up
to 6A output current.
(Courtesy: Infineon)

30. SOI For the Real World
Courtesy: Texas
Instruments

31. Power to Stay Healthy
Courtesy: STMicroelectronics Courtesy: Hitachi

32. SOI Power to the Plug
Courtesy: NXP

33. SOI – When It Gets Really Hot
Cissoid – fabless, IP &
discretes for up to 250C
Now looking for
opportunities in
automotive...
Fraunhofer
Courtesy: Fraunhofer
Courtesy: Cissoid

34. SOI – Higher and Higher

35. SOI Shines a Light
Courtesy: NXP

36. Photonics – SOI Today
Cisco's line of Lightwire
advanced optical interconnect
technology for high-speed
networking applications.
Courtesy: Cisco

37. Photonics – Coming Soon

38. SOI for RFID

39. SOI for BSI Imaging
Courtesy: STMicroelectronics

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42. Thank you!
Special thanks to Soitec, ST, and all the SOI users
and members of the SOI Consortium for
permission to use their pictures.
editorial@advancedsubstratenews.com
www.advancedsubstratenews.com