Meanwhile, UMC decided to develop a 18nm process for IC design houses which might be looking for a cheaper alternative to 14nm FinFET process, the sources noted. UMC plans to initally have monthly capacity of 10,000 12-inch wafers to be fabricated on the 18nm process, the sources said.The site also notes UMC is speeding up efforts to clear legal hurdles to offer 28nm production at its joint-venture 12-inch fab in Xiamen, China, despite previous claims it would keep its 28nm and 14nm processes in Taiwan.
The intention of having its joint-venture 12-inch fab in Xiamen, China be qualified for the manufacture of 28nm chips are another reason behind UMC's decision to move to 18nm, the sources indicated. UMC is not allowed to invest in its most advanced process technology at the China fab according to Taiwan's laws and regulations.
UMC working on a 18nm process as 14nm FinFET is tougher than expected
Posted on Friday, June 05 2015 @ 11:44 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck