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Toshiba and Chartered Semiconductor
Manufacturing Partner on Embedded DRAMs
Milpitas, CA -- Jun 3, 1997 -- Toshiba Corporation and Chartered
Semiconductor Manufacturing have entered into a 5-year partnership agreement
that calls for technology and manufacturing cooperation on embedded DRAMs, a
burgeoning semiconductor business segment based on leading-edge
system-on-silicon technology.
Under terms of the agreement, Toshiba will license its embedded DRAM
technology to Chartered, beginning first with 0.35um and migrating to 0.25um.
After process qualification, Chartered will manufacture embedded DRAM products
for Toshiba and other customers. The agreement allows Chartered to enter the
fast growing embedded DRAM market, and enables Toshiba to secure a reliable
second source for embedded DRAM based on Toshiba's technology. The first
embedded DRAM products produced under the partnership of Toshiba and Chartered
are expected to emerge in the market in 1998. The 0.35um and 0.25um embedded
DRAMs will be manufactured in Chartered's new Fab 3, which will serve
Chartered's diverse customer base.
The embedded DRAMs will employ trench-capacitor technology, currently used
in Toshiba 16-megabit and 64-megabit DRAMs. The trench-capacitor has several
key advantages over the stack structure for embedded applications, including
quick ramp-up of products, and a high level of reliability due to larger cell
capacitance and low temperature process.
"Since its founding, Chartered has offered its customers an array of memory
technologies. Today's agreement with Toshiba expands that offering and lets us
enter the embedded DRAM market with a process and products that match our
customers needs. When Chartered is selected to produce products with embedded
DRAM, customers will receive devices based on Toshiba's proven product
technology manufactured to the highest specifications of Chartered's
foundries," said Tan Bock Seng, CEO and president of Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing.
Keiichi Kawade, general manager of the Micro & Custom LSI Division of
Toshiba's Semiconductor Group, said, "We see embedded DRAMs as one of the
essential technologies for next-generation products in the future. The
agreement with Chartered will ensure the capacity for Toshiba to support the
market demand that we foresee as very promising."
Embedded DRAMs integrate traditional DRAMs with digital logic on the same
chip using a common process. Such integration offers the benefits of lower
package count, reduced power utilization, and more accurate sizing of the
amount of DRAM required in a particular application. They are targeted to the
fast-growing graphics market and are ideal for portable applications where
products require low power consumption with a small silicon footprint.
In 1994, Chartered and Toshiba had agreed on the development of a 0.5um
CMOS process which was completed successfully. The current technology and
manufacturing program is the second joint agreement for the companies.
Headquartered in Tokyo, Toshiba Corporation is a world-leading
semiconductor manufacturer with a global semiconductor revenue of Y890 billion
for the fiscal year ended in March 1997. The company is implementing a number
of key programs to further enhance its capabilities for the system-on-silicon
era, including the start of 0.25-micron based embedded DRAM production at its
Oita plant in Japan during the second half of the current final year.
Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing is a pure-play foundry providing
quality manufacturing and exceptional service for customers worldwide.
Chartered offers a full complement of advanced technologies which include
deep-submicron CMOS logic, memory and mixed signal processes. All production
fabs are certified to ISO9002 standards. In addition, Chartered offers a full
turnkey service from process technology application and mask generation to
delivery of tested packaged parts. A member of Singapore Technologies,
Chartered is headquartered in Singapore with offices in the United States,
Europe, Japan, and Taiwan. Chartered's web address is http://www.csminc.com.
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