FEBRUARY 27--The Crolles2 Alliance facility in Crolles near Grenoble, France, inaugurated in a ceremony attended by senior management of Philips (www.semiconductors.philips.com), Motorola (www.motorola.com/semiconductors), and STMicroelectronics (www.st.com), will pioneer CMOS technology from 90-nm processes to 32 nm over the next five years and also includes a 300-mm-wafer semiconductor-manufacturing pilot line. The Crolles2 Alliance was created in April 2002 when Motorola joined the existing alliance between Philips and STMicroelectronics. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. also participates for process development and alignment. The main building and infrastructure of the Crolles2 Alliance facility is now in place and equipment is being installed. The three partners will have invested US$1.4 billion in the facility by 2005.
The joint Crolles2 center will focus on specific technologies at the forefront of semiconductor R&D: baseline CMOS processing, embedded memories (static, dynamic, and magnetic RAM), Silicon-On-Insulator, analog CMOS, advanced process modules, advanced copper interconnect, low-power designs, and RF capabilities. Starting at 90 nm, the alliance will continue on and develop CMOS processes at 65 nm, 45 nm, and, ultimately, the 32-nm node. The Alliance has already demonstrated successful cooperation between the partners with the early availability of the industry's first 90-nm CMOS design platform and cell libraries for system-on-chip solutions.
"This alliance, which builds on a 10-year history of successful technological cooperation between ST and Philips and which has now been further enriched by the addition of Motorola, means that three of the semiconductor industry's innovative suppliers are working together to develop the leading-edge technology platforms that will propel the growth of the electronics industry in the coming years," said Pasquale Pistorio, president and CEO of STMicroelectronics. "We have no doubt that the Crolles2 Alliance, which we believe represents the new business model for advanced R&D, will play a key role in the future growth of all three partners."
