Originally Published EMDM January 2006
Industry News
Semicon Partnership Targets Next-Generation Medical Electronic Devices
Brian Buntz
Neurostimulation devices that require low power capability and robust nonvolatile memory may benefit from a recently announced development partnership. MagnaChip Semiconductor (Cheongju, South Korea), which designs, develops, and manufactures mixed-signal and digital-media semiconductors, and US-headquartered AMIS (Pocatello, ID), a maker of integrated mixed-signal and structured digital products, will pool resources to provide design-to-manufacture services for medical device OEMs. The collaboration will merge MagnaChip’s deep-submicron process technology with AMIS’s expertise in CMOS products. It will enable the design of integrated circuits with high gate counts and offer medical device OEMs access to a proprietary 0.18-µm process, according to Chris King, CEO and president of AMIS.
Specialized manufacturing processes are often required for the medical devices used in pain-management neurostimulation, spinal cord injury, and epilepsy applications. The technology platform under development will enable the production of devices with extended battery life, increased functionality, expanded memory, and high reliability in harsh conditions. Other medical products targeted by the technology include cardiac rhythm management and continuous glucose-monitoring devices.
For more information, contact the European office of AMIS, Westerring 15, B-9700 Oudenaarde, Belgium; phone: +32 55 332211; fax: +32 55 318112; e-mail: europe_inquiry@amis.com; Internet: www.amis.com.
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