United Microelectronics Corporation (NYSE:UMC, TWSE: 2303))))) ("UMC"), a leading global semiconductor foundry, today announced the availability of its 22nm embedded high voltage (eHV) technology platform, the most advanced display driver IC foundry solution in the market to power premium displays for smartphones and other mobile devices. With unmatched power efficiency and reduced die size, the new platform, 22eHV, enables mobile device manufacturers to enhance battery life of their products while offering superior visual experiences.
To accommodate for the rising penetration of AMOLED displays in smartphones, UMC is the first in the industry to launch a 22nm eHV platform, which reduces core device power consumption by up to 30% compared to 28m eHV processes. The new display driver IC (DDIC) solution also boasts the industry's smallest SRAM bit cells, reducing die area by 10%, as well as improved image processing speed for high-resolution images and fast response time.
"We are proud to be the first in the industry to introduce a 22nm eHV solution, empowering our customers to develop compact, power-efficient display drivers for next-generation smartphones," said Steven Hsu, UMC's Vice President of Technology Development. "UMC has been the undisputed foundry leader in the AMOLED DDIC market since we started 28nm eHV production in 2020. With the launch of 22eHV, we once again demonstrate our world-class eHV capabilities and commitment to enabling our customers' product roadmaps. Beyond 22nm, our development teams are working on expanding our eHV portfolio to FinFET in anticipation of future display trends."
With decades of experience in DDIC technology development and wafer manufacturing, UMC was the first pure-play foundry to begin mass production of 28nm small-panel DDICs. Since then, UMC has dominated the 28nm small-panel DDIC market with more than 90% share*. Small-panel DDICs are used to power AMOLED and OLED displays in smartphones, tablets, IoT devices, and virtual reality/augmented reality applications.