Sematech going ahead with 450-mm fab tech

AUSTIN, TEXAS: International Sematech, the chip-making consortium, has said it is continuing to make progress in the 450-mm fab technology, notwithstanding some resistance among many makers of fab tools.

The 450-mm fab is in the ‘test wafer generation’ stage, the company said in a statement. The company is developing and shipping the prototype of 450-mm wafers to the members of the consortium, which are being processed with etchers and other tools.

The company, located in Albany, New York, the United States, also is in the process of creating a clean room for the new technology, Scott Kramer, vice-president (manufacturing) of International Sematech, said in the statement, as reported by EETimes.

International Sematech has devised a 450-mm ‘test bed’ in Austin. Texas, the United States. The test-bed facility, situated within an R&D fab once owned by Sematech, was bought recently by SVTC Technologies, the R&D foundry. The test bed of International Sematech comprises prototypes of fab automation tools and handlers.

Samsung as well as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) are separately insisting on the of 450-mm ‘'prototype’ fabs by 2012, according to Scott Kramer. However, there are some experts who think that the 450-mm fab is not going to happen ever, arguing that the R&D costs are too high. According to an estimate, a 450-mm fab will cost about $10 billion.