HSINCHU, Taiwan -- Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. today announced it has become the first silicon foundry supplier to offer a 0.13-micron process option for low-power ICs used in wireless applications.

TSMC said the new process, designated CL013LP, offers multiple threshold voltages to enable "fine-grained tradeoffs" in standby power leakage and performance for specific low-power applications, such as personal digital assistants, cellular phone handsets, and other battery-powered devices. TSMC is adding the low-power option to its 0.13-micron process portfolio, which includes a baseline technology and a high-performance version introduced nearly a year ago.

Demand for advanced processes with optimized power management has been strong, even in the industry's current downturn, said Genda Hu, vice president of corporate marketing at TSMC. "Typically these applications require a finely tuned balance of the speed/leakage tradeoff," he said, adding that the new 0.13-micron low-power option "offers designers the flexibility to integrate more design blocks with lower power consumption."

TSMC's low-power option features Vcc in a range of 1.2-to-1.5 volts, with I/O functions operating at 2.5 or 3.3 V. With multiple threshold voltage options, current leakage can be reduced to 2 picoAmps per micron (pA/um), while performance can be enhanced to 18.5 picoseconds per stage (ps/stage), said the foundry supplier. The process also features copper interconnects and a low-k dielectric for reduced capacitance and resistance.

Currently, TSMC said it has delivered 33 fully functional 0.13-micron devices and it expects to receive more than 60 production tapeouts and 130 tapeouts for its Cybershuttle multiproject wafers by the end of the year. TSMC's 0.13-micron technologies feature all-copper interconnects for 300-mm wafer fabrication. The foundry company offers options for FSG (fluorine-doped silicate glass), and low-k dielectric insulators.

TSMC also said it will ship at least 9,000 wafers processed with 0.13-micron technologies by the end of 2001. High-volume 0.13-micron production will ramp throughput 2002, said the company. The new low-power option is expected to be in volume production by early 2002.