Over the past fifty years, our country, for various reasons, has lagged behind foreign manufacturers in the field of microelectronics by a large number of years: Russian microcontrollers have ceased to meet the requirements of new technologies. Recently, this gap has narrowed somewhat, but the gap is still wide. Domestic developers prefer mainly not Russian microcontrollers, but devices from the x51 family, which are produced by different companies. For example, Microchip products, if we talk about long-established ones in the market. There are new, but also quite popular: Atmel AVR microcontrollers. This group is the leader today. All other devices on the market are noticeably behind. However, gradually the number of consumers and Russian microcontrollers is increasing. And it is very pleasing.
Company of the USSR
Until the collapse of the USSR, the Mikron plant was the leading microelectronics company in Russia producing integrated circuits. Now this Russian company, founded in 1967, is part of the RTI holding and is owned by AFK Sistema. Initially, the Russian microcontrollers at this enterprise graduated from the Research Institute of Molecular Electronics (NIIME).
Mikron PJSC today is a group of companies. Judging by the information on the official website, this also includes Svetlana-Semiconductors, VZPP-Mikron. The company has representative offices in Taiwan, in China, and the assembly is carried out in Shenzhen.
In the days of the USSR, the Angstrom and Mikron factories (Zelenograd) almost completely satisfied the demand for the USSR microcircuits, although these products did not reach world standards.
The path to quality
Work was carried out with products of more than a micron; nanotechnology was still far away. Nevertheless, it was Mikron PJSC that became the pioneer in our country in developing and introducing into production analog digital integrated circuits for mass distribution. It happened historically. Today, the plant produces more than seventy percent of total electronics exports.
Of course, now completely different working conditions. And in the seventies, the Mikron plant in Zelenograd became a pioneer - new methods of manufacturing microcontrollers were created. For example, the structure of the microcircuit was tested using the “epiplanar” technology - lateral insulation with a dielectric. Also, the first technological process in our country - "Isoplanar" - the manufacture of an integrated circuit with oxide insulation, was perfected. Ion doping was used, plasmochemical methods of manufacturing domestic microcontrollers were introduced. The plant actively worked not only for a wide consumer, but also for the military-industrial complex and space.
Production development
PJSC "Micron" from the very beginning was a leading factory in the industry. The country's first "clean rooms" were created here. Integrated circuits were produced on an industrial scale for supercomputers. A high-speed universal kit of the 1802 series (Russian microcontrollers - analogues of AVR) for air defense systems was developed. It was these products that provided the space programs Venus and Mars. In 1984, the plant fulfilled the country's most important order: it created and put into production the Unified Computer System, for which it was awarded the Order together with the NIIME. In the nineties, studies of new technological developments continued, along with the modernization of production. The latest BiKMOP technology was developed, and then the plant began to independently enter foreign markets. For example, already in the nineties, Samsung began to buy crystals of integrated circuits.
In 1994, there was a merger of two microelectronics enterprises in Russia - Mikron and NIIME. They began to position themselves as one company. By the mid-90s, another “clean room” was created, where production began much closer to world standards of production: an integrated circuit on silicon wafers of one hundred and fifty millimeters in diameter, where design standards were 0.8 microns.
A few years later, the products received international recognition and the international certificate of Bureau Veritas Quality International, which served as a certificate of compliance of these systems with quality management in accordance with ISO 9000 standards. In 1997, NIIME and Mikron merged with the Scientific Center concern, and later Sitronics Microelectronics". Three years later, a subsidiary company VZPP-Mikron was established in Voronezh.
New projects
Since 2006, an investment project has been implemented aimed at large-scale modernization of production. A complete closed cycle was organized - a plate with chips. Mainly in the field of telecommunications - the production of SIM cards for this industry. Further, the plant received from Franco-Italian STMicroelectronics production technology of a topological level of 180 nm. The production of chips for smart cards, transport tickets, including for the Moscow metro, has begun. It should be noted that until 2010, the Mikron plant worked according to near-micron standards. In 2007, the state invested more than three hundred million rubles in the enterprise to start the production of microcircuits measuring 180 nanometers. Equipment was purchased from around the world.
In 2009, the state-owned Rusnano company joined the work, a special production site was created for the serial production of circuits with 90 nanometers of design norm. Funding continued - now it has reached 16.5 billion rubles. The goal is the development of new products and the development of technologies to the level of 45 nm or even less.
However, in 2012, new products (IC crystals) had a topological level of 90 nm, which also made it possible to increase production capacities - 36,000 wafers per year. In 2012, the domestic universal card chip was developed, and in 2013 its production began. At the same time, the production of microcircuits for a biometric passport was launched. And in 2013, Rusnano sold its share of the shares, the concern reorganized and became subordinate to RTI OJSC.
Recent Achievements
By the beginning of 2014, NIIME and Mikron OJSC had developed the latest technology for creating circuits of 65 nanometers; the first normally working crystals were obtained. However, mass production still did not happen. Work continues. In 2014, Rusnano returned to ownership of the company. The production of domestic dual-core microprocessors using 90 nm technology continued. The company has become a supplier of transport tickets (electric trains, ground transportation, metro), labels of its own design for the Goznak Federal State Unitary Enterprise (marking of fur products), microcontrollers for biometric passports of Laos (the first international project). In 2016, bank cards were issued at the production site for the Mordovian KS Bank (MIR NSPK).
Now the plant makes integrated circuits of six to eight layers of metal FAB-200) according to design standards up to 65 nm and microcircuits of technologies "planar" and "bipolar" (FAB-150), where one or two layers of metal, and design standards range from 1, 6 microns. The plans for 2018 were the development of nanotechnology 45-28 nm with the construction of new lines for this purpose. Huge investments were required from the state - more than one and a half billion dollars. There is no news on this topic yet.
"PKK Milander"
In the same place, in Zelenograd, another production of this industry was organized in 1993. PKK Milander JSC is a much younger company than the Mikron plant. It did not require huge funds for the reorganization of production. The company immediately began implementing projects for the development and subsequent manufacture of microelectronics: processors, controllers, transceiver circuits, memory, voltage converters, as well as universal electronic modules, commercial and industrial devices, software for microelectronics products and information systems.
This company was the first in Russia to receive a license for the ARM microprocessor core and its use in microcontrollers under development. Here, integrated circuits were initially produced according to design standards up to 28 nm, tested, microcircuits, including imported ones, were highly accurately measured and tested, hardware units and electronic modules were produced. In addition, electricity meters and electronic components for special-purpose equipment, as well as civil ones, have been developed and produced (this applies to software). In total, in the product line today there are more than four hundred typominals of various products. These are 32-, 16-, 8-bit microprocessors and microcontrollers, ROM and RAM (memory chips), as well as radio frequency, interface, specialized.
Company Details
The company owns more than seven hundred square meters of production and office space and the most advanced hardware programming tools for the design and testing of integrated circuits. The specialists of the enterprise are highly qualified, and therefore a complete closed production cycle and the most accurate measurements, as well as testing of equipment units and microcircuits are carried out with excellent quality. The company's products are distinguished by a high degree of reliability.
The company operates in accordance with the requirements of the State Standard ISO 9001-2011, which applies to the production and development of the latest integrated circuits, electromechanical filters, piezoelectric devices, metal-ceramic cases for microcircuits, microassemblies of multi-crystal modules, electronic equipment and power supplies.
Company Composition
PKK Milander, a Russian company that designs and manufactures microelectronic components and electronic equipment, includes Milander EK, which has been certified by the Electronsert DSP. This is a highly qualified supplier of foreign and domestic component electronics base, which also includes cooperative supplies of electronic components by agreement of the CIS parties.
Milander EC is a separate division that sells products of ITCM LLC. This enterprise has been equipped with a number of the most modern test complexes, including unique foreign ones. Accreditation gives the right to test chips of both foreign and domestic production. Here, a large number of different integrated circuits with standards up to 40 nm and electronic equipment based on them are developed and produced.
Achievements
The PKK Milander company owns a unique scientific and production base. Powerful design centers have been created here, an educational and testing center, and assembly measuring production are operating. The company differs from others in that it ensures the creation of the final product from scratch, and this product is very much in demand on the market. Moreover, the company always accompanies all its completed projects.
For ten years, the company carried out more than 225 experimental design works for the industry, 206 of which were brought to serial production. The main consumers are Russian enterprises of instrument making, radio engineering systems, communication equipment, telemetry systems, on-board computers. The company has representatives in Penza, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Voronezh, where Russian-made microcontrollers are also manufactured. Collaboration is carried out with the Department of Nanotechnology at the Russian Academy of Sciences.
AO NIIET
In 1961, a design bureau was opened at the semiconductor plant in Voronezh, which later grew from the famous enterprise of the most modern electronic equipment. It was there and just then that the history of NIIET JSC began. At first, the enterprise produced diodes and transistors - semiconductor devices based on silicon and germanium, which were developed by the Moscow research institute Pulsar. But soon all the work began to be carried out independently.
A landmark achievement was the development of the very first integrated circuit in the 60s of the last century. The processes of planar technology were introduced, which later helped to develop the first integrated bipolar microcircuits. And today products of this particular company are very popular on the market, for example, the 1886ve4u microcontroller. In 1968, the first 16-bit RAM integrated circuits created by the team were introduced into production using MOS technology, which served as an impetus to the development of domestic microelectronics. From here we got the implementation of integrated circuits of a generation. Bipolar LSIs from the famous 1804 series (injection logic is the basis here) and the distant 1887 series - the 1887ve4u microcontroller, were created after the 80s of the 20th century as a result of a long creative journey.
Modern destinations
Scientific and technical activities of the enterprise are aimed at the development of microcontrollers and microcomputers from the beginning of the seventies. Already then there was a fairly intensive development of communications and computer technology, CAD and a variety of control systems. Chips of local production were equipped with domestic computers - "Electronics-82", "Electronics-85", "Electronics-100". In 1986, the creation of digital processors for signal processing for special equipment (DSP) began.
There was not a single year in the history of NIIET JSC when its development would be suspended, growth was always observed and with the achievement of each new height, the desire for the next always began. In the field of microelectronics development in our country, it would be difficult to find equal specialists in this enterprise. They mastered more than one hundred and fifty typominals of the most powerful microwave transistors developed on the spot from scratch, as well as integrated circuits for various purposes.