Posted on Wednesday, March 02 2011 @ 4:20 CET by Thomas De Maesschalck
The adoption of 450mm wafers may occur when switching to the 10nm process node, according to a comment by Leonard Hobbs, the head of research for Intel Ireland. He sees the transition taking place between 2015 and 2017.
Hobbs also pointed out that two fab building projects have been announced in the United States that will be "450-mm compatible." When asked what that meant he said: "Size could be significant, room height and weight-bearing capacity of the floor."
With Intel due to start production of chips at 22-nm in 2011, the 10-nm is only two further nodes away. And according to Hobbs, extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography is not expected much before 450-mm wafers.
Hobbs was asked when EUV lithography would arrive, to which he responded: "The question is if we see EUV kicking in. It is hugely expensive. It's one or two generations away yet."
More info
at EE Times.
