CMP services: Basic principles and developments

This paper is about the CMP Service (Circuits Multi-Projects). CMP aims at providing Universities, Research Laboratories and Industries with the possibility to have their integrated circuits projects fabricated. The Service has started in 1981. Presently customers are serviced for CMOS, BiCMOS, bipolar and GaAs technologies, and for Multi Chip Module fabrication. Recently, the Service has been extended to Microsystems. The paper details the Service, from its origin in 1981 until its recent developments; it includes some basic principles and guidelines to set up such a service and explains how the technologies have been selected, giving present and long term perspectives in the field.