Current status of high performance silicon bipolar technology

Traditional applications for high-performance silicon bipolar technology have been high-end computing, very-high-speed logic, high-frequency mixed-signal, gigabit-per-second optical fiber data transmission, RF communication, and high-precision analog products. Applications are presently characterized by frequency performance from several tens of megahertz to about 10-20 GHz with integration densities from SSI level in tens of devices to VLSI level of a few hundred thousand devices per circuit. Silicon bipolar manufacturing has matured much like CMOS in establishing cost-effective, high-yield, industrial standard process flows. In 1991, silicon bipolar analog and digital IC products accounted for a total of 27% of the TAM with an expected trend of market share down to 13% in 1996. Within this relatively small market segment, high-performance silicon bipolar technology is expected to further hold an important share in high-value-added IC products.<>