SOITEC : LEADING SEMICONDUCTOR FOUNDRY BOOSTS FD-SOI ECOSYSTEM

LEADING SEMICONDUCTOR FOUNDRY BOOSTS FD-SOI ECOSYSTEM

FD-SOI Substrates' Multi-Source, High-Volume Manufacturing Capacity and Supply Chain in Place to Meet Industry Demand

• FD-SOI substrates to be produced in high volume at multiple sites around the world thanks to manufacturing and licensing strategy
• Collaboration between silicon leader and SOI leader brings to the market a large volume wafer supply meeting 22FD-SOI specifications
• Strong FD-SOI industry support now includes extended IP and design services as well as multiple substrate suppliers, ensuring high-volume manufacturing capacity

Bernin (Grenoble), France, July 14, 2015 - Soitec (Euronext), a world leader in designing and manufacturing semiconductor materials for the electronics and energy industries, welcomes GLOBALFOUNDRIES' industry- first 22-nanometer fully depleted silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology platform (22FDX ) as the latest advance in the FD-SOI ecosystem. FD-SOI process technologies are based on ultra-thin SOI substrates manufactured with Soitec's industry-standard Smart Cut(TM) technology. Soitec's 300-mm FD-SOI substrates are ready now for ramp-up production with the capacity to meet industry forecasts, thanks to the company's two large, state-of-the-art 300-mm facilities in Europe and Singapore. An additional volume of identical substrates will be available from the silicon-wafer world leader Shin-Etsu Handotai Co., Ltd. (SEH), a Smart Cut licensee. Both wafer suppliers are reportedly ready to increase capacity as needed.

All of this has been possible thanks to the combination of many years of Smart Cut expertise, proven high-volume manufacturing at multiple sites as well as cooperation between Soitec and SEH to enable a large-volume supply of high-quality silicon wafers and SOI manufacturing. The strong collaboration between the silicon leader and the SOI leader brings to the market a large volume wafer supply meeting 22FD-SOI specifications.

Today's news represents a major step in the FD-SOI roadmap for 22-nm processing. According to GLOBALFOUNDRIES, its 22FDX technology will offer significant performance and cost benefits for applications demanding low-power and high-performance requirements with possible analog and radio-frequency integration. The technology is ideal for the low to mid-range mobile and wearable device markets, while enabling a new generation of system-on-chip (SOC) technologies for the rapidly evolving Internet of Things (IoT). Other markets include consumer multimedia, industrial and automotive applications.

"GLOBALFOUNDRIES' announcement is a key milestone for enabling the next generation of low-power electronics and we are very pleased to be GLOBALFOUNDRIES' strategic partner," said Paul Boudre, CEO of Soitec. "Our ultra-thin SOI substrate is ready for high-volume manufacturing of 22FDX technology. With our two fabs and our worldwide licensing strategy, the market will enjoy all of the SOI wafers it needs for strong adoption. The markets we are addressing with this product will be key contributors to Soitec's growth."

"SEH welcomes this development, bringing FD-SOI products to the industry, and we look forward to the continuation of our work in extending the global supply chain for FD-SOI," said Nobuhiko Noto, general manager of SOI Division at SEH. "We are very glad to be engaged in supporting the growth and development of the FD-SOI market, both as a leading bulk wafer supplier to Soitec as well as with our own FD-SOI wafer supply."

 The performance, power consumption, and cost benefits of FD-SOI have been proven, and FD- SOI is expected to go into a high-volume production phase. According to Dr. Handel Jones, CEO of IBS, Inc. "Multi-source supply chain for substrates has been established, and wafer volumes can potentially be one million per year and more in the future. We are confident that Soitec and its licensing strategy will be able to supply the substrates required to allow FD-SOI wafer volumes to reach their potential."

The global FD-SOI ecosystem continues to grow with the participation of more leading semiconductor foundries. In May 2014, Samsung announced the signing of a comprehensive agreement with STMicroelectronics on 28-nm FD-SOI technology for multi-source manufacturing collaboration.

The strong industry support now includes multiple leading foundries, fabless adopters, IP providers, chip equipment suppliers and EDA vendors.

About Soitec: Soitec (Euronext, Paris) is a world leader in designing and manufacturing semiconductor materials. The company uses its unique technologies and semiconductor expertise to serve the electronics and energy markets. With 3,600 patents worldwide, Soitec's strategy is based on disruptive innovation to answer its customers' needs for high performance, energy efficiency and cost competitiveness. Soitec has manufacturing facilities, R&D centers and offices in Europe, the U.S. and Asia. For more information, please visit www.soitec.com and follow us on Twitter: @Soitec_EN.

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