News Article
UMC Builds 40x40mm IC
Rockwell Scientific and UMC have successfully developed a readout integrated
circuit (ROIC), the HAWAII-2RG, for the infrared detectors used by astronomy
focal plane arrays (FPAs).
RSC designed and UMC produced the 40x40mm chip using a mixed-mode CMOS
process. Because state-of-the-art CMOS wafer foundries can only fabricate
ICs that are about a quarter of the area of the HAWAII-2RG, UMC's engineers
had to "stitch" the chip together using a series of exposures, each of which
captures a section of the entire readout. Amazingly, it is reported that the
device worked successfully upon its first silicon pass. Each 200mm silicon
wafer holds only twelve of the very large ICs.
RSC produces the FPA by bonding the HAWAII-2RG readout to a matching
2048x2048 infrared detector array fabricated in mercury cadmium telluride
(HgCdTe). The result is one of the world's largest and highest performance
infrared sensors, with 60% larger area than 35mm film.
The aim of the design was for a base resolution of 4.2mn pixels and a mosaic
resolution of 16.8mn pixels. The infrared imaging sensor will be used in
several of the world's largest ground-based telescopes and are also one of
the candidates for NASA's Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST).
RSC already has several orders for the Hawaii-2RG sensors from the world's
most advanced ground-based observatories. The project was funded by the NASA
Ames Research Center through a contract with the University of Hawaii.
process. Because state-of-the-art CMOS wafer foundries can only fabricate
ICs that are about a quarter of the area of the HAWAII-2RG, UMC's engineers
had to "stitch" the chip together using a series of exposures, each of which
captures a section of the entire readout. Amazingly, it is reported that the
device worked successfully upon its first silicon pass. Each 200mm silicon
wafer holds only twelve of the very large ICs.
RSC produces the FPA by bonding the HAWAII-2RG readout to a matching
2048x2048 infrared detector array fabricated in mercury cadmium telluride
(HgCdTe). The result is one of the world's largest and highest performance
infrared sensors, with 60% larger area than 35mm film.
The aim of the design was for a base resolution of 4.2mn pixels and a mosaic
resolution of 16.8mn pixels. The infrared imaging sensor will be used in
several of the world's largest ground-based telescopes and are also one of
the candidates for NASA's Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST).
RSC already has several orders for the Hawaii-2RG sensors from the world's
most advanced ground-based observatories. The project was funded by the NASA
Ames Research Center through a contract with the University of Hawaii.
