Panasonic Corporation announced that it has successfully developed a new mass-production technology for 32-nm system LSIs and plans to ship system LSIs based on this technology for use in Blu-ray Disc (BD) players.
According to the statement, this technology enables system LSIs with higher performance and lower power consumption well suited for use in consumer electronics including digital TVs, Blu-ray Disc (BD) recorders and players.
For more information visit: www.panasonic.com
Unedited press release follows:
Panasonic to Start Commercial Shipment of 32-nm Generation System LSIs Based on World’s First*1 Gate-First, High-k/Metal Technology
Osaka, Japan – Panasonic Corporation has successfully developed a new mass-production technology for leading-edge 32-nm generation system LSIs, and is ready to ship system LSIs (model number: MN2WS0150) based on this technology from October 2010 for use in Blu-ray DiscTM*2 players. This advanced technology enables system LSIs with higher performance and lower power consumption to be used for consumer electronics including digital TVs, Blu-ray DiscTM*2 recorders and players.
As the market for new consumer electronics, such as Blu-ray 3D DiscTM*2 players, is rapidly growing, there was an urgent need for a mass-production technology that can support low-power, high-performance microscopic transistors on 32-nm or later generation system LSIs.
The world’s first*1 technology Panasonic has developed for fabricating high-k/metal gate transistors in a gate-first process can significantly improve CMOS transistors’ performance by up to 40% compared to its current models. The MN2WS0150 system LSI, featuring 32-nm generation transistors and Panasonic’s proprietary UniPhier®*3 integrated platform for digital consumer electronics, is designed for Blu-ray DiscTM*2 players which are compatible with Blu-ray 3DTM*2 discs. The newly-developed technology enables reducing LSI’s power consumption by approximately 40% and the mounting footprint by 30% compared to the current models by employing high-density integration of the microscopic transistors and power consumption control according to the LSI’s operations.
Panasonic’s advanced 32-nm generation system LSI’s have been realized based on the following technologies:
1. New CMOS process technologies*4 for multi-Vth based on new gate structure forming technologies employing hafnium (Hf)-based high-k gate dielectrics and metal gate electrodes, and microscopic Cu wiring technologies using ELK (extremely low dielectric constant) dielectrics that reduce signal delay on wires.
2. MPEG-4 MVC (multiview video coding system, an extension to the ITU-T H.264 advanced video coding system) decoding technologies for Blu-ray 3DTM*2, HDMI high-speed data transfer circuit technologies, and high-performance and high-speed graphics engine technologies that also support 3D and curved surface drawing.
3. Power-saving circuit technologies that minimize power consumption according to the LSI’s operations, such as clock frequency control, supply voltage application/shut-off and high-speed analog/digital mixed signal circuit forming technologies.
*1: Based on Panasonic data as of September 15, 2010
*2: Blu-ray DiscTM, Blu-rayTM, Blu-ray 3DTM, and their associated logos are trademarks of Blu-ray Disc Association.
*3: UniPhier is a trademark of Panasonic Corporation.
*4: Jointly developed with Renesas Electronics Corporation based on the program developed by imec (a leading-edge technology research and development organization in Belgium).
About Panasonic
Panasonic Corporation is a worldwide leader in the development and manufacture of electronic products for a wide range of consumer, business, and industrial needs. Based in Osaka, Japan, the company recorded consolidated net sales of 7.42 trillion yen (US$79.4 billion) for the year ended March 31, 2010. The company’s shares are listed on the Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and New York (NYSE: PC) stock exchanges.