STeP5 UltraCMOS® RFICs in high demand for 4G LTE mobile applications
San Diego, CA, USA and Bernin, France, Nov. 6, 2012 — Soitec (Euronext Paris), a world leader in generating and manufacturing revolutionary semiconductor materials for the electronics and energy industries, today announced it has more than doubled production of bonded silicon-on-sapphire (BSOS) substrates to meet increased demand from its strategic partner, Peregrine Semiconductor Corporation (NSADAQ: PSMI). Peregrine Semiconductor, a fabless provider of high-performance radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), has increased peak-production capability of its latest-generation STeP5 UltraCMOS® technology-based RF switches to more than two million units a day, to support design wins in the Radio Frequency Front Ends (RFFEs) of today’s most advanced 4G smart phones, and other wireless- communication applications. These wins established Peregrine Semiconductor as the market leader for the main RF antenna switch for cellular handsets1.
Soitec’s direct wafer-bonding technologies are used to produce the BSOS substrate employed in the manufacture of Peregrine Semiconductor’s highly-tuned semiconductor wafers. The combination of Soitec’s innovative substrate, and Peregrine Semiconductor’s UltraCMOS process technology, and IC design expertise, enable high-performance RFICs for a variety of applications.
“We are experiencing powerful traction in the market with the latest STeP5 UltraCMOS RF switches, and we believe these products enable the high level of RF performance that is critical for new, 4G LTE smartphones and wireless devices,” said Mark Miscione, vice president of RF Technology Solutions for Peregrine Semiconductor. “Soitec’s expertise has been important in the development of a substrate technology that offers the reliability, yield, and process scalability of equivalent bulk CMOS technologies. We are pleased with the continued commitment and support we receive.”
“As a result of supporting Peregrine Semiconductor’s continued strong growth, we have reached a new level in high-volume manufacturing for our bonded-SOS product,” said Bernard Aspar, vice president of Soitec’s Layer Transfer Solutions Business Unit. “Bonded SOS is part of our strategy to deliver leading-edge engineered substrates for mobile electronic-device markets.”
About Peregrine Semiconductor
Peregrine Semiconductor (NASDAQ: PSMI) is a fabless provider of high-performance radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs). Our solutions leverage our proprietary UltraCMOS® technology, an advanced RF Silicon-On-Insulator process. Our products deliver what we believe is an industry- leading combination of performance and monolithic integration, and target a broad range of applications in the aerospace and defense, broadband, industrial, mobile wireless device, test and measurement equipment, and wireless infrastructure markets. Additional information is available on the Company’s website at https://psemi.com.
About Soitec
Soitec is an international manufacturing company, a world leader in generating and manufacturing revolutionary semiconductor materials at the frontier of the most exciting energy and electronic challenges. Soitec’s products include substrates for microelectronics (most notably SOI: Silicon-on-Insulator) and concentrator photovoltaic systems (CPV). The company’s core technologies are Smart Cut™, Smart Stacking™ and Concentrix™, as well as expertise in epitaxy. Applications include consumer and mobile electronics, microelectronics-driven IT, telecommunications, automotive electronics, lighting products and solar power plants for large-scale utilities. Soitec has manufacturing plants and R&D centers in France, Singapore, Germany, and the United States. For more information, visit http://www.soitec.com.
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The Peregrine Semiconductor name, logo, and UltraCMOS are registered trademarks of Peregrine Semiconductor Corporation in the U.S.A., and other countries. Soitec, Smart Cut, Smart Stacking and UNIBOND are trademarks of S.O.I.TEC Silicon On Insulator Technologies. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
1 Andoh, Yoshiyasu (Navian Inc). RF Devices/Modules For Cellular Terminal Quarterly Market Report CY2012 2Q, Oct. 5, 2012: page 153.