SAN JOSE, Calif. and HSINCHU,
Taiwan, Dec. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Cypress
Semiconductor Corp. (NASDAQ: CY), a leading embedded solutions
provider, and United Microelectronics Corporation (NYSE: UMC)
(TWSE: 2303) ("UMC"), a leading global semiconductor foundry, today
announced that Cypress has begun volume shipments of
microcontrollers (MCUs) containing its proprietary 40nm Embedded
Charge-Trap (eCT™) Flash manufactured at UMC. The shipments mark
the culmination of a multi-year collaboration between Cypress and
UMC to integrate Cypress's flash technology with UMC's 40nm Low
Power (40LP) logic process. The 40nm eCT Flash comes in a 0.053
μm2 cell size that is approximately 25 percent smaller
than the nearest competitor. The eCT Flash macro is capable of 8
nsec random access and 30 μsec word-programming speed, two key
attributes engineered for the most-demanding, high-performance
applications. In addition, it meets stringent automotive
reliability requirements.
"This is an important milestone for eCT technology and a
testimony to the successful partnership between Cypress and UMC; at
the current run rate, we will have shipped more than seven million
MCUs containing eCT Flash by the end of this year," said
Sam Geha, senior vice president of
the Memory Products Division at Cypress. "We set out to deliver an
embedded Flash technology with the industry's smallest cell size.
Leveraging our memory expertise and UMC's process expertise, we
were able to fulfill that objective while minimizing mask adders
and preserving logic device models. We also integrated
automotive-grade reliability and performance, making eCT a key
enabler of Cypress's new generation of Traveo™-branded automotive
MCU products."
"UMC and Cypress have a long-standing development relationship
over many technology generations," said S.C. Chien, senior vice president of Corporate
Marketing at UMC. "Our 40LP is a mature, high-volume production
technology that appeals to numerous market sectors due to its
proven defect density and yields, resulting in considerably reduced
costs compared to smaller process geometries, while still
addressing power and performance requirements. UMC also helps
customers mitigate geographic risk with fabs supporting 40LP in
Taiwan, Singapore and China, and we are pleased to extend the
benefits of our 40LP process to support Cypress's eCT technology
and bring differentiation to their MCUs."
With its small cell size along with high performance and
reliability, eCT is an ideal solution for a wide range of
applications, from automotive to industrial to consumer. In
addition, the scalability enabled by the relatively low cell
profile means that eCT technology will ensure a competitive MCU
product roadmap through 28nm and beyond.
The eCT Flash macros are also available for licensing from
Cypress. For more information on licensing, please contact Cypress
at ip_licensing@cypress.com.
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About Cypress
Founded in 1982, Cypress is the leader
in advanced embedded system solutions for the world's most
innovative automotive, industrial, home automation and appliances,
consumer electronics and medical products. Cypress's
programmable systems-on-chip, general-purpose microcontrollers,
analog ICs, wireless and USB-based connectivity solutions and
reliable, high-performance memories help engineers design
differentiated products and get them to market first. Cypress
is committed to providing customers with the best support and
engineering resources on the planet enabling innovators and
out-of-the-box thinkers to disrupt markets and create new product
categories in record time. To learn more, go to
www.cypress.com.
About UMC
UMC (NYSE: UMC, TWSE: 2303) is a leading
global semiconductor foundry that provides advanced IC production
for applications spanning every major sector of the electronics
industry. UMC's robust foundry solutions enable chip designers to
leverage the company's sophisticated technology and manufacturing,
which include high volume production 28nm gate-last High-K/Metal
Gate technology, ultra-low power platform processes specifically
engineered for Internet of Things (IoT) applications and the
automotive industry's highest-rated AEC-Q100 Grade-0 manufacturing
capabilities for production of ICs found in cars. UMC's 10 wafer
fabs are strategically located throughout Asia and are able to produce over 500,000
wafers per month. The company employs more than 18,000 people
worldwide, with offices in Taiwan,
China, Europe, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and the
United States. UMC can be found on the web at
http://www.umc.com.
Note From UMC Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
Some of the statements in the foregoing announcement are
forward-looking within the meaning of the U.S. Federal Securities
laws, including statements about introduction of new services and
technologies, future outsourcing, competition, wafer capacity,
business relationships and market conditions. Investors are
cautioned that actual events and results could differ materially
from these statements as a result of a variety of factors,
including conditions in the overall semiconductor market and
economy; acceptance and demand for products from UMC; and
technological and development risks. Further information regarding
these and other risks is included in UMC's filings with the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission. UMC does not undertake any
obligation to update any forward-looking statement as a result of
new information, future events or otherwise, except as required
under applicable law.
Cypress and the Cypress logo are registered trademarks and eCT
and Traveo are trademarks of Cypress Semiconductor Corp. All other
trademarks are property of their owners.
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