Chip maker says move will save money and reduce pressure on the environment
Intel Corp. today announced that it has joined with two other chip makers in an effort to ease a move from 300mm wafers to 450mm wafers, which will enable the companies to increase production and maybe even lessen their impact on the environment.
Intel, Samsung Electronics and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., have each agreed to make sure pilot 450mm wafers are ready for testing by 2012 and for full production by 2014.
Intel spokeswoman Kari Aakre noted that the three companies haven't set up a formal alliance, but she did say that they have agreed on a common timeline to make sure that test equipment and components are ready in time. "In talking with them, we all agreed we need to make the transition happen, so we're going to work together," she added. "There are a lot of moving parts, and we all need to be moving forward together."
Aakre added that the chip makers will be able to produce twice as many chips on a 450mm wafer as they can on a 300mm wafer today.
In 2001, Intel began an 18-to-24-month move from 200mm wafers to today's 300mm size.
"When you move to a larger wafer, you get more chips for a lower cost," said Aakre. "There's obviously the cost advantage, but you also use fewer resources. You're producing larger wafers and getting more out of them, so you're not using as many resources, such as energy and water. We become more efficient."
Dan Olds, an analyst at Gabriel Consulting Group Inc., said moving to 450mm wafers is a natural progression in the chip industry. "The bottom line is that while this will require some pretty big investments in new equipment to produce the new, much larger wafer, the payback will be pretty significant -- higher yields, lower cost per wafer, higher production," he added.
"It's important in that it will bring new economies of scale to the fabs. Where they could get around 2,600 chips per wafer with 300mm, they'll be able to get almost 6,000 chips per wafer at 450mm. The costs to produce the 450mm wafer will be higher because of new equipment and dyes, etc., but the costs per chip produced will be much lower," Olds said.
Dean McCarron, an analyst at Mercury Research, said that moving to a 450mm wafer is a smart move financially.
"The more dye you get per wafer, the better the economics," he added. "It will give them lower costs. They can drop their prices and compete more with AMD in terms of pricing, or they can keep their prices the same and get more profit. They'll probably split the difference between the two."
Intel Corp. today announced that it has joined with two other chip makers in an effort to ease a move from 300mm wafers to 450mm wafers, which will enable the companies to increase production and maybe even lessen their impact on the environment.
Intel, Samsung Electronics and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., have each agreed to make sure pilot 450mm wafers are ready for testing by 2012 and for full production by 2014.
Intel spokeswoman Kari Aakre noted that the three companies haven't set up a formal alliance, but she did say that they have agreed on a common timeline to make sure that test equipment and components are ready in time. "In talking with them, we all agreed we need to make the transition happen, so we're going to work together," she added. "There are a lot of moving parts, and we all need to be moving forward together."
Aakre added that the chip makers will be able to produce twice as many chips on a 450mm wafer as they can on a 300mm wafer today.
In 2001, Intel began an 18-to-24-month move from 200mm wafers to today's 300mm size.
"When you move to a larger wafer, you get more chips for a lower cost," said Aakre. "There's obviously the cost advantage, but you also use fewer resources. You're producing larger wafers and getting more out of them, so you're not using as many resources, such as energy and water. We become more efficient."
Dan Olds, an analyst at Gabriel Consulting Group Inc., said moving to 450mm wafers is a natural progression in the chip industry. "The bottom line is that while this will require some pretty big investments in new equipment to produce the new, much larger wafer, the payback will be pretty significant -- higher yields, lower cost per wafer, higher production," he added.
"It's important in that it will bring new economies of scale to the fabs. Where they could get around 2,600 chips per wafer with 300mm, they'll be able to get almost 6,000 chips per wafer at 450mm. The costs to produce the 450mm wafer will be higher because of new equipment and dyes, etc., but the costs per chip produced will be much lower," Olds said.
Dean McCarron, an analyst at Mercury Research, said that moving to a 450mm wafer is a smart move financially.
"The more dye you get per wafer, the better the economics," he added. "It will give them lower costs. They can drop their prices and compete more with AMD in terms of pricing, or they can keep their prices the same and get more profit. They'll probably split the difference between the two."