Posted on Saturday, November 22 2008 @ 6:55 CET by Thomas De Maesschalck
DigiTimes
writes TSMC is urging equipment and material suppliers to push for 18-inch (450mm) wafer migration to cut chip costs and improve capacity efficiency.
The transition to 18-inch wafer production may be interrupted by the current economic woes, but it is a necessary step the semiconductor industry has to take in order to increase production scale and efficiency significantly for better competitiveness, according to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). As for its own 18-inch wafer production plan, TSMC has stated it is seeking more cooperation with equipment and material suppliers on development of 18-inch wafer fabs.
TSMC said 18-inch manufacturing will improve capacity efficiency, shorten production cycles and enhance R&D capabilities, as well as driving down chip costs. Since the industry is facing challenges in terms of process technology development and costs, an aggressive approach to the more efficient 18-inch wafer production is essential, TSMC noted.
