Magnachip lowers CMOS flicker noise

KOREA-BASED analogue and mixed-signal semiconductor manufacturer, Magnachip Semiconductor, said today that it has come up with an ultra low noise process technology with significantly lowered flicker noise.

The company, which pruces chips for use in mobile phones, digital televisions, digital cameras and the like said that its new technology did not require any shift in electrical parameters for industry standard 0.18um 1.8, 3.3, and 5.0 volt and 0.35um 3.3 and 5.0 volt CMOS devices.

Flicker noise usually occurs in devices when there are fluctuations in the surface channel. It is a common phenomenon in most electronic devices, and particularly those running at low frequencies.

Magnachip reckons that its new low flicker noise process can improve the output noise of audio and video signals whilst reducing the chip area of the analog block, especially in applications like audio and video codecs, power amplifiers, regulators and oscillators. µ