Profile:

Sarnoff Europe – with offices in Gistel & Aalter, Belgium – is a silicon Intellectual Property (IP) provider to the semiconductor industry. Sarnoff Europe assumes worldwide responsibility for the research, development, maintenance, and commercialization of an innovative design solution IP portfolio for on-chip ESD (Electro Static Discharge) protection.

Sarnoff Europe is an innovation company, and dedicates at least 25% of its engineering resources to continuous R&D of new silicon design solution IP. Silicon proven ESD protection design IP is available today down to and including 65nm process technology. In cooperation with one of our main customers, Sarnoff Europe taped out its first 45nm process technology design solutions in December 2006, confirming Sarnoff Europe as the world leader in on-chip ESD protection IP development.

Takecharge technical roadmap for standard CMOS and high-voltage CMOS ESD design solutions. The TakeCharge portfolio is product proven for all technologies down to and including 65nm, with 2kV HBM, 200V MM and 500V CDM product performance reported. The solution concepts for 45nm and 32nm are proven on test chips for 1Volt, 1.0nm design windows.

Sarnoff Europe's advanced (nano) CMOS IP development was secured in 2004 through a multi-year agreement with Toshiba (Japan), as discussed in a joint press release on 2004-05-13:

"Toshiba will implement the TakeCharge® on-chip electrostatic discharge (ESD) design approach from Sarnoff in its CMOS integrated circuit processes (0.18um, 0.13um, 90nm and 65nm process technologies). As part of the agreement, Sarnoff will also collaborate with Toshiba in order to develop customized solutions for future generations of Toshiba ICs in geometries as small as 45nm and 32nm."

Sarnoff Europe has been profitable in every year of its operations, an important selection and decision criterion for IP buyers that are looking for long-term IP partnerships.

In its years of operation, Sarnoff Europe has developed state-of-the-art ESD solutions, ranging from specialty requirements in mature technologies to advanced nano-CMOS applications, from HV-CMOS to SOI and epi processes/substrates.

Today, Sarnoff Europe remains true to the vision and spirit of innovation of its parent company Sarnoff Corporation, headquartered in Princeton, NJ, USA. Sarnoff Corporation was founded in 1942 as RCA Laboratories, and operated until its independence and name change in 1987 as the R&D division of the renowned Radio Corporation of America (RCA). Throughout its history, Sarnoff Corporation has largely contributed to the introduction of innovative technologies and products. Examples include the invention of the colour TV (1950), development of CMOS process technology for IC manufacturing, invention of the LCD (Liquid Crystal Display – 1968)... Sarnoff Corporation is an innovation company with R&D activities in the semiconductor industry, information technology, and biotechnology. Sarnoff Corporation is a subsidiary company of Stanford Research International (SRI).