CDI, the bipolar LSI technology with total systems integration capability

Abstract

The system designer of today is becoming bewildered by an ever increasing variety of semiconductor technologies (if he can get passed identifying the initials). Among bipolar technologies, isoplanar and its variants, thin epitaxy processes such as Plessey Process 3, and integrated injection logic (I2L) all aim at specific types of advantage and are normally thus limited to specific market sectors. Metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) technologies have similarly proliferated, and can conveniently be split into single channel, e.g. P-Channel, and complementary MOS technologies. These again have their specific advantages and market sectors. Ferranti CDI, however, is unique in being able to penetrate a broad market front using a single and well understood standard process. Such an approach to a variety of systems is termed Total Systems Integration, which means that frequently a complete and relatively complex system can be realised on a single chip with minimal external components. This is made possible by the many attributes of CDI, such as the performance of a bipolar process with the packing density of MOS, the combination of digital and linear circuits on the same chip (digilin), excellent device performance over a wide current range and particularly at very low currents and good speed performance with better speed power product. To substantiate these claims, some examples of CDI products and applications are given below.