GF forges foundry deals with GaN, CPU startups
GlobalFoundries has announced separate foundry deals with two emerging startups--Finwave Semiconductor and Efficient.
By Mark LaPedus
GlobalFoundries (GF) has announced separate foundry deals with two emerging startups in the semiconductor industry--Finwave Semiconductor and Efficient.
Finwave is developing a 3DGaN FinFET technology for RF applications, while Efficient is working on an energy-efficient chip architecture.
In the first announcement, Finwave, a developer of gallium nitride (GaN) technology, has formed a strategic technology development and licensing agreement with GF, a foundry vendor. GF will manufacture and scale Finwave's enhancement-mode (E-mode) MISHEMT technology within GF’s 200mm semiconductor manufacturing facility in Burlington, Vt. GF will manufacture Finwave's devices using its 90RFGaN platform. Finwave’s devices can be produced on 200mm wafers, but they are also scalable to 300mm wafers.
Finwave’s MISHEMT (Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor High-Electron-Mobility Transistor) technology is a GaN-on-silicon platform, enabling GaN-based devices. The company calls these devices a 3DGaN FinFET. Like other transistors used in the semiconductor industry, HEMTs are used in chips as on-off switches.
GaN, a binary III/V direct bandgap semiconductor, is based on two elements--gallium and nitride. GaN outperforms today’s devices using traditional silicon materials. “With 10 times higher breakdown electric field than silicon, high electron mobility and the ability to operate at higher junction temperature, GaN semiconductors are poised to play a significant role for the next decade's technology revolutions,” according to Finwave.
In the market for years, GaN-based chips and devices are used in various applications, such as power semiconductors, RF and others. For years, GaN has been used for various RF applications. RF refers to a wireless electromagnetic signal used as a form of communication, according to Mouser.
Generally, GaN HEMTs are 2D or planar transistors. A 2D or planar device consists of a substrate. On the substrate, there is a thin nucleation layer, followed by a buffer layer and a GaN channel layer. On top of the transistor, there is a source and drain with a gate in the middle. A voltage applied to the gate controls the flow of electrons between the source and drain terminals.
In contrast, Finwave’s HEMT makes use of a multi-fin, FinFET structure. With a multi-fin structure, the transistor has a 10dB linearity improvement, channel control for reduced leakage current, and 3D electric field control for reduced memory effects.
3DGaN FinFET technology. This technology enhances power amplifier linearity, meeting the demands of advanced communication systems. Source: Finwave
This in turn gives it an advantage over existing RF chips. In one example, today’s smartphones incorporate a processor, memory and other chips. A phone also incorporates various RF components, such as the power amplifier, switches and others.
The power amp, which amplifies the RF signal, is typically based on an age-old material called gallium arsenide (GaAs). The switches are also critical components, which are typically based on RF silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology.
Finwave’s GaN-based MISHEMT technology enables efficient power amplifiers for future handsets, surpassing the capabilities of incumbent GaAs HBTs, according to the company. Finwave’s technology is also geared for other power amp applications, such as the high-frequency 5G FR2/FR3 bands, 6G and mmWave amplifiers, and Wi-Fi 7 systems.
The company’s technology is also targeted for RF switch devices. Finwave’s SP2T switches can be used in 5G communication systems, radar and other applications.
Leveraging GF’s high-volume CMOS manufacturing capabilities, Finwave and GF aim to qualify this technology for mass production in the first half of 2026. “This partnership opens the door to further innovation and integration of RF front-ends onto a single GaN-on-Si device,” said Pierre-Yves Lesaicherre, chief executive of Finwave.
Finwave’s technology was originally conceived at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2012. The company invented a novel type of GaN transistor based on a finFET architecture. Shortly thereafter, a company called Cambridge Electronics was formed to bring the technology to market. In 2022, the company changed its name to Finwave, which is based in Waltham, Mass.
Meanwhile, GF also announced a foundry deal with Efficient. Based in Pittsburgh, Efficient hopes to bring to market a new high-performance processor that is up to 166x more energy-efficient than today’s embedded CPUs.
Efficient’s processor architecture, called Fabric, is based on research from Carnegie Mellon University. The goal is to develop a general-purpose, post-von Neumann processor design that is easy to program and energy-efficient.
The device will be manufactured using GF's 22FDX platform with MRAM. Efficient is working with select customers for early access and customer sampling by 2025.
"Together with Efficient, we will meet a growing market need for ML-enabled intelligent edge devices across various domains that are power efficient and deliver strong computing performance," said Faisal Saleem, senior vice president of End-Markets at GF.