UMC Introduces Industry’s First 3D IC Solution for RFSOI, Accelerating Innovations in the 5G Era

HSINCHU, Taiwan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 2, 2024--

United Microelectronics Corporation (NYSE: UMC; TWSE: 2303) (“UMC”), a leading global semiconductor foundry, today announced the industry’s first 3D IC solution for RFSOI technology. Available on UMC’s 55nm RFSOI platform, the stacked silicon technology reduces die size by more than 45% without any degradation of radio frequency (RF) performance, enabling customers to efficiently integrate more RF components to address the greater bandwidth requirements of 5G.

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As mobile device manufacturers pack more frequency bands in newer generations of smartphones, the company’s 3D IC solution for RFSOI addresses the challenge of integrating more RF front-end modules (RF-FEM) - critical components in devices to transmit and receive data – in a device by vertically stacking dies to reduce surface area. RFSOI is the foundry process used for RF chips such as low noise amplifiers, switches, and antenna tuners. Utilizing wafer-to-wafer bonding technology, UMC’s 3D IC solution for RFSOI resolves the common issue of RF interference between stacked dies. The company has received multiple patents for this process, which is now ready for production.

“We are proud to lead the industry in offering this state-of-the-art solution utilizing our innovative 3D IC technology for RF-FEM. This groundbreaking technology not only solves the challenges of increased frequency band demands in smartphones in the 5G/6G era, but also helps in mobile, IoT, and virtual reality devices with faster data transfer by accommodating more frequency bands in parallel,” said Raj Verma, Associate Vice President of Technology Development at UMC. “We are excited to continue developing stacked die solutions to meet our customers’ RF needs, such as for 5G millimeter-wave, in the future.”

UMC offers the most comprehensive RF front-end module IC solutions in the industry, catering to a broad range of applications including mobile, Wi-Fi, automotive, IoT, and satellite communications. With over 500 product tape-outs completed and more than 38 billion RFSOI chips shipped, UMC’s family of RFSOI solutions are available in 8-inch and 12-inch wafers, as well as in a variety of technology nodes from 130nm to 40nm. In addition to RFSOI technologies, UMC’s 6-inch fab (Wavetek Microelectronics Corporation) offers compound semiconductor technologies gallium arsenide (GaAs) and gallium nitride (GaN) as well as RF filters to supplement the needs of RF-FEM applications.

About UMC

UMC (NYSE: UMC, TWSE: 2303) is a leading global semiconductor foundry company. The company provides high-quality IC fabrication services, focusing on logic and various specialty technologies to serve all major sectors of the electronics industry. UMC’s comprehensive IC processing technologies and manufacturing solutions include Logic/Mixed-Signal, embedded High-Voltage, embedded Non-Volatile-Memory, RFSOI, BCD etc. Most of UMC's 12-in and 8-in fabs with its core R&D are located in Taiwan, with additional ones throughout Asia. UMC has a total of 12 fabs in production with combined capacity of more than 400,000 wafers per month (12-in equivalent), and all of them are certified with IATF 16949 automotive quality standard. UMC is headquartered in Hsinchu, Taiwan, plus local offices in United States, Europe, China, Japan, Korea & Singapore, with a worldwide total of 20,000 employees. For more information, please visit: http://www.umc.com.

Note from UMC Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

Some of the statements in the foregoing announcement are forward-looking within the meaning of the U.S. Federal Securities laws, including statements about introduction of new services and technologies, future outsourcing, competition, wafer capacity, business relationships and market conditions. Investors are cautioned that actual events and results could differ materially from these statements as a result of a variety of factors, including conditions in the overall semiconductor market and economy; acceptance and demand for products from UMC; and technological and development risks. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in UMC’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. UMC does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable law.

UMC's 3D IC solution for RFSOI reduces area by 45%, freeing up space for additional modules (Graphic: Business Wire)

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Chris Kreider had a third-period hat trick to help the New York Rangers erase a two-goal deficit and beat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-3 in Game 6 on Thursday night to advance to the Eastern Conference Final.

Kreider single-handedly erased the Hurricanes’ 3-1 lead entering the final period. The go-ahead score came when he got position on Jalen Chatfield at the top of the crease and tipped in Ryan Lindgren’s pass to make it 4-3 at the 15:41 mark.

That finally allowed the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Rangers to put away the Hurricanes, who had won two straight after falling into a 3-0 hole in the best-of-7 series. The Hurricanes appeared on the verge of forcing a Game 7 for a pressure-packed finale, but couldn’t contain Kreider and the Rangers’ surge in the final 14 minutes.

Barclay Goodrow finished this one off by getting to a loose puck near the boards and scoring a long empty-net goal in the final minute, sending Goodrow to the nearby Rangers bench to be mobbed by teammates.

That sent the Rangers on to the Eastern Conference Final to face the Boston-Florida winner, with the Panthers leading that series 3-2.

CANUCKS 3, OILERS 2

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — J.T. Miller scored with 33 seconds remaining to lead Vancouver to a victory over Edmonton that put them a win away from the Western Conference Final.

Carson Soucy and Phillip Di Giuseppe both scored in their returns to the lineup for Vancouver, which will try to wrap up the series in Game 6 on Saturday in Edmonton. Rookie Arturs Silovs made 21 saves for the Canucks.

With the game tied at 2, Vancouver’s Pius Suter fired a shot from near the boards and it bounced off the skate of teammate Elias Pettersson in front of the net and hit the post. Miller picked it up and batted it in for the go-ahead goal, his third of the playoffs.

Evander Kane and Mattias Janmark scored for the Oilers, who got 32 saves from Calvin Pickard.

Leon Draisaitl set up the first goal of the game, digging out a puck behind Vancouver’s net and backhanding it to Kane at the bottom of the face off circle. Kane snapped a shot past Silovs for his third goal of the postseason 4:34 into the game.

Draisaitl’s assist gave him at least one point in each of Edmonton’s 10 playoff games. He has eight goals and 13 assists in the postseason.

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This story has been updated to correct time of Miller’s goal to 33 seconds left instead of 31.9, per official stats.

New York Rangers' Chris Kreider, second from right, celebrates his goal against the Carolina Hurricanes with teammates during the third period in Game 6 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

Rangers reach Eastern Conference Final with 5-3 Game 6 win over Hurricanes

Rangers reach Eastern Conference Final with 5-3 Game 6 win over Hurricanes