Crocus and SMIC Sign Agreement on Magnetic Logic Unit

Crocus Technology, developer of magnetically enhanced semiconductors, and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), China’s semiconductor foundry, announced the signing of joint technology development and wafer manufacturing agreements.

Under the agreements, the two companies will jointly develop high-temperature Magnetic Logic Unit (MLU) technology targeted at automotive applications. SMIC will manufacture and supply the CMOS base wafers on advanced technology nodes, which will be further processed at Crocus Nano Electronics (CNE), Crocus’ magnetic manufacturing facility.

Crocus’ MLU, based on a magnetics architecture, is a scalable evolution of its Thermally Assisted Switching (TAS) technology. MLU technology enables practical implementation of advanced logic and memory capabilities.

"This agreement solidifies our manufacturing plan for building MLU products at advanced technology nodes," said Dr. Bertrand F. Cambou, executive chairman of Crocus Technology. "By combining SMIC’s proven and cost effective CMOS manufacturing capacity with CNE’s advanced magnetic capability, we can meet our manufacturing requirements and better serve our customers."

"MLU technology brings significant benefits in functionality and cost," said Dr. Tzu-Yin Chiu, CEO and executive director of SMIC. "We are excited to work with Crocus on advanced magnetic semiconductors and bring differentiated next-generation products to the marketplace."

In addition, Crocus’ MLU technology could be licensed to SMIC for use in embedded chip applications. The companies also plan to collaborate on joint marketing in the area of smart cards using TAS MLU and MRAM (magnetoresistive random access memory) technology.