X-FAB Expands 180nm XH018 Process with New Isolation Class for Enhanced SPAD Integration

X-FAB Silicon Foundries SE, the leading analog/mixed-signal and specialty foundry, has released a new isolation class within its 180nm XH018 semiconductor process. Designed to support more compact and efficient single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) implementations, this new isolation class enables tighter functional integration, improved pixel density, and higher fill factor resulting in smaller chip area.

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SPADs are critical components in a wide range of emerging applications, including LiDAR for autonomous vehicles, 3D imaging, depth sensing in AR/VR systems, quantum communication and biomedical sensing. X-FAB already offers several SPAD devices built on its 180nm XH018 platform, with active areas ranging from 10µm to 20µm. This includes a near-infrared optimized diode for elevated photon detection probability (PDP) performance.