CSEM's Integrated & Wireless Systems program is primarily focused on the design and industrialization of low-power and/or low-voltage Systems-on-Chip (SoC). The SoCs designed at CSEM are complex application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), that combine digital, analog and RF building blocks. In addition to the design of SoCs, this CSEM program also offers a one-stop shop ASIC service for small- to medium-volume production.

To accelerate the design-to-silicon process and ensure first-time silicon success, CSEM is now a design partner of TowerJazz - the global specialty foundry / wafer manufacturer strategically focused on RF, high-performance analog, power, and imaging solutions.

CSEM's Microelectronics flyer

R & D Activities

The research activities conducted in recent years by the Integrated & Wireless Systems program have evolved from the design of circuit building blocks towards the design of very complex systems integrated on a single chip. These Systems-on-Chip or SoCs have many embedded functionalities such as microcontroller, digital signal processing (DSP), low-leakage memory, radio frequency (RF) transceivers, vision sensor arrays, power/energy management and sensor interfaces. They are all designed for low-power consumption and low-voltage operation, further strengthening further the long time low-power and low-voltage differentiators that have made CSEM's IC design activities renowned worldwide.

In addition to low-power, the overall miniaturization of the system is also a target. The latter can be partly achieved by integrating more and more functions into the same silicon die, taking advantage of the scaling of CMOS technology following Moore's law. A complementary approach (often named "more than Moore"), consists of pushing miniaturization even further by integrating additional heterogeneous devices such as RF passives, resonators and filters, silicon time basis and sensors together with the SoC in an advanced system-in-package (SiP). This is basically the strategy followed by the Integrated & Wireless Systems program in recent years.

The research activities are organized around four different generic technology tracks: digital information processing, sensory information processing, radio IC design, and RF and piezoelectric MEMS. The roadmap for all these tracks is progressively converging towards three SoC platforms and one SiP platform:

• the processor platform based on the 32-bit icyflex processor family
• the vision sensor platform based on the icycam SoC
• the wireless platform based on the icycom SoC
• the MEMS-based radio platform.

The technology tracks and the derived platforms are described in more detail in the "Activities" drop-down menu opposite.

ASIC Service

CSEM has deep experience in ASIC design and can deliver innovative ASIC architectures based on the customer's specifications to find the best power/size/cost trade-off. CSEM is also able to propose a global offer to its ASIC customers through its ASIC Service. CSEM performed and manages ASIC prototyping, industrialization, test and production with a network of specialized third parties.

Applications and Markets

Integrated & Wireless Systems platforms are ideal for serving a large spectrum of applications across a diversity of markets. Some of them where CSEM is performing R&D work are outlined below:

• Wearable and portable equipment
• Medical and para-medical
• Home (health, security, safety)
• Automotive
• Transportation related (transportation control, monitoring transportation infrastructure)
• Industrial market (controlling, security, monitoring in dangerous or difficult-to-access places)
• Telecom and datacom where high processing and low-consumption are critical