Altis Semiconductor

Altis Semiconductor is an independent French company resulting from IBM (International Business Machines) Microelectronic (pioneer in semiconductor manufacturing in Europe since 1964). As a European specialty silicon foundry, Altis Semiconductor is a player in the semiconductor market in Europe. The company is currently serving several markets in the automotive, industrial, computer, consumer, security, micro-controllers, networking and wireless market segments.
History
From 1999 to 2010, the Corbeil-Essonnes production site was operated by a joint venture between IBM Microelectronics (50%) and Infineon Technologies (50%). Altis Semiconductor became independent in 2010, independence raising concerns about the sustainability of the company. In August 2010, the business man Yazid Sabeg (also CEO of the IT consulting company CS Communication & Systems) took control of Altis, in association with the Investment Fund Qatari Diar and the French investment fund “Fonds Stratégique d’Investissement”. From 2011, the group has expanded its presence internationally by opening an office in Asia in September 2011 and in the U.S in February 2012.
In July 2010, as part of the call for projects on nano-electronics, the French Minister of Education and Research Laurent Wauquiez, the French Minister of Industry Eric Besson and the Commissioner General to Investment René Ricol, announced the allocation of € 135 million investment in eight selected projects, including three coordinated by Altis and LETI (see the French Government page).
Altis Semiconductor owns some production capacity dedicated to foundry in Europe, and has invested over 1 billion € into its automated 8 inch semiconductor production facility. Altis existing technology portfolio includes technology platforms licensed from former shareholders IBM and Infineon. With a capacity of 35000 wafer starts per month and geometries from 250 nm to 130 nm (75% Copper interconnect), its competitive CMOS based technologies in RF, Non-Volatile Memory and high voltage options serve a broad range of end market applications.
In November 2010, a European Commission High Level Group on Key Enabling Technologies’ report mentioned Altis as one of the new opportunities of the foundry sector, as a source of strength and dynamism for the semiconductor industry in Europe.
Markets and Applications
Altis, as a specialty foundry for low-power consumption stand alone embedded systems, is addressing the following main markets:
* Automotive: microcontrollers, communication sensors, power management.
* Health: wireless secure sensors, battery operated systems.
* Home Automation: Wireless sensors, intelligent lighting management.
* Power management and solid-state lighting: DC-DC converters, brushless motor control, low energy LED lighting technology.
* Security: smart cards, contactless applications, secured systems.
* Wireless : RF transceivers
Location
Altis is located on a 55 hectare site in Coudray-Montceaux and Corbeil-Essonnes (southern Paris area), at the heart of the technology campus “Essonne Nanopole”, gathering industry leaders. The site includes 25000 square meters of clean rooms and a design center.

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