UltraCMOS™ Process compared to Bulk Silicon CMOS

The UltraCMOS™ silicon-on-sapphire (SOS) process is a patented variation of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology, enabling the combination of high-performance RF, mixed-signal, passive elements, nonvolatile memory and digital functions on a single device without blocking capacitors. By utilizing a sapphire substrate, which is a near-perfect insulator, UltraCMOS wafers enjoy low defect density for simpler construction; dielectrically isolated transistors for excellent power handling and multiple thresholds; and inherent CMOS logic levels. Further, fully-depleted SOS doesn’t have any body junctions, so the only voltage variable capacitance is Cox. UltraCMOS delivers the fundamental reliability, cost effectiveness, high yields, scalability and monolithic integration of standard CMOS, while achieving peak RF performance traditionally expected from the more exotic process technologies.