X-FAB Announces First Winners of “First-Time-Right” and “X-Cite” Awards

ERFURT, Germany, July 26, 2016 – X-FAB Silicon Foundries today announced the first winners of its annual First-Time-Right Award and semi-annual X-Cite Award. iC-Haus GmbH and New Japan Radio each won the First-Time-Right award for mastering significant implementation challenges in developing analog and mixed-signal ICs that fulfill the target specification at first design iteration. Fabless semiconductor company MinDCet NV won the X-Cite Award for stretching the performance envelope in X-FAB’s varied semiconductor processes.

iC-Haus GmbH is a leading independent German manufacturer of standard ICs (ASSP) and customized ASIC semiconductor solutions, headquartered in Bodenheim, Germany. New Japan Radio is an analog semiconductor IC design and manufacturing company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

X-FAB CEO Rudi De Winter presented the First-Time-Right Award to the CEOs of iC-Haus and New Japan Radio saying, “The devices New Japan Radio and iC-Haus developed have different characteristics, so the design engineers had very different challenges to master. I congratulate both companies on their achievements and wish them commercial success with their new products.”

X-FAB developed its X-Cite award to recognize fabless semiconductor companies and research establishments experienced in IC development for their innovation in extending the performance of X-FAB’s various semiconductor processes. MinDCet, the first winner of the X-Cite Award, designs and produces custom power management ASICs for high-voltage, high-temperature and high-frequency applications. The company is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium.

Dr. Ulrich Bretthauer, Business Line Manager Industrial & Medical at X-FAB, presented the X-Cite Award to MinDCet CEO Mike Wens, saying: “We know MinDCet for driving our technologies to the edge, but with this proposal you aim for even more ambitious targets, beyond what we envisioned when developing our SOI technology.”

X-Cite is an ongoing program. Semiconductor companies and research institutions can enter the X-Cite Award competition at any time by submitting their project proposals here.