A new, five-year phase of their joint semiconductor technology development alliance was recently begun IBM Corp., Armonk NY, and Sony Corp. and Toshiba Corp. of Japan. The companies will work together on fundamental research related to advanced process technologies at 32 nanometers (32nm) and beyond.
The agreement will help enable the three companies to more rapidly investigate, identify and commercialize new technologies for consumer and other applications, IBM says.
Over the last five years the firms have collaborated on the Cell microprocessor design and its underlying SOI (silicon-on-insulator) process in 90 and 65-nanometer technologies.
“This is a winning combination,” Masashi Muromachi, president and CEO, Toshiba Semiconductor Co., says. “With Toshiba’s cutting-edge process technology and manufacturing capabilities, Sony’s various semiconductor technologies and deep knowledge of consumer markets and IBM’s state-of-the-art material technology, we can anticipate breakthrough process technologies for the 32-nanometer generation and beyond.”
“Toshiba will apply these advances to assuring continued leadership in cutting-edge process technology and the accelerated development of essential devices for the age of ubiquitous connectivity,” he adds.
“The extension of the IBM, Sony and Toshiba relationship to fundamental research is extremely promising,” Kenshi Manabe, president of semiconductor business unit, EVP and Corporate Executive of Sony Corp, says. “This joint development project will help accelerate the cycle from fundamental research to commercialization based on detailed feasibility studies of potential technologies, device structures, innovative materials, and unique processing tools.”
“By extending this relationship to the next-generation of process technologies and deepening our partnership at the research level, we expect to increase the pace of development for major technology advances,” Lisa Su, vice president, Semiconductor Research and Development Center, IBM Systems & Technology Group, says.
R&D will take place at IBM’s Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights NY., the Center for Semiconductor Research at Albany NanoTech, and at IBM’s 300-millimeter manufacturing facility in East Fishkill NY.
