The Bumpy Road to 450mm
After its formation nearly 20 months ago, a 450mm consortium has reached its latest milestone by recently completing a cleanroom and installing the first 450mm demonstration tools in the facility. The so-called Global 450 Consortium (G450C) also has set a goal to bring 450mm fabs into high-volume manufacturing at the 10nm or 7nm nodes by 2018. (By Mark Lapedus, SemiMD, May 16)

450mm in 2017: It's Coming
The switch to 450mm will likely be the largest, most expensive retooling the semiconductor industry has ever experienced. 450mm fabs, which will give an unbeatable competitive advantage to the largest semiconductor manufacturers, are likely to cost $10 billion and come on-line in 2017, with production ramp in 2018. (By Pete Singer, SST, May 1) 

Industry Alignment on Cost and Time Savings in the 450 mm Transition
The virtues of collaboration in the extraordinarily complex and capital-intensive business of microelectronic technology development have been long recognized and are only becoming more important as transition to manufacturing on 450mm wafers accelerates. (By J. Davis, F. Robertson, A. Ware, Future Fab International, Apr 25)

WEBCAST: G450C 450mm Status Report  by Paul Farrar, G450, and Lode lauwers, imec (SST on Apr 3; webcast is still available after registration)

Supersizing Wafers 
Get ready for 450mm wafers. First seriously considered in 2005, these supersized wafers, along with the equipment to handle, measure, and process them, have gradually made their way to the top of the semiconductor industry’s priority list.  But what exactly does that mean? What will 450mm fabs look like, and how will they differ from the 300-mm fabs being built today? (By Katherine Derbyshire, SemiMD, Jan 20)

More Viewpoints

Europe launches $12 billion chip support campaign

Europe Launches $12 billion Chip Support Campaign (EE Times, May 23)

TSMC Reinterates Push to 450mm (TechEye.net, May 10)

450mm and EUV: Critical Challenges Facing the Semiconductor Industry (SEMI, May 7)

GlobalFoundries' Fab 8 Facility to be completed by 2013-end (SST, May 6) 

450 Update on SEMI Standards (SEMI, April 23) 

Enable450 Newsletter-- April:  (funded by European Commission, Apr 2013)

450mm Era: A New Opportunity for the Semiconductor Industry (Future Fab Int'l, April 25)

The Enabling Role of Metrology in 450mm Transition (Future Fab Int'l, April 25)

How to Survive the Scaling and 450mm Wafer Transition Challenge (Future Fab Int'l, April 25)

Critical Updates from Industry Leaders on EUV, 3D Transistors and 450mm Manufacturing Targeted for SEMICON West 2013 (SEMI, April 23)

Enable450 Newsletter-- March: Effective European 450mm Equipment & Materials Network  (funded by European Commission, Mar 2013)

Intel Moves Forward with European 450mm Project (EE Times, Mar 29)

Tokyo Electron To Boost Investment In Large-Wafer Systems (Nikkei, Mar 22)

Fab Plan FIled, Not Set (Times Union, Mar 22)

InnoLas Semiconductor on Track for 450   (SST, March 20)

SEMICON West 2013 to Address Industry R&D Challenges and Opportunities (SST, Mar 19)

Molecular Imprints Advanced Lithography Platform Uses Xaar Printheads to Pattern 450mm Wafers (SST, Feb 26)

ISSCC: ASML Says EUV Best Option at 10nm (EE Times, Feb 19)

GloFo and Samsung in Race to 14nm (EE Times,  Feb 6)

Nano Job Fair: Hundreds Apply at CNSE, G450C Jobs (CNSE, Feb 2)

Intel's 450-mm Wafer Spend Starts in 2013 (EE Times, Jan 24)

450mm Progessing (SST, Jan issue)

Imprint Litho Firm Claims 450-mm First (EE Times, Jan 18)

GlobalFoundries Approved for $1 Billion Loan to Export Manufacturing Equipment to Germany (Business Review, Jan 2) 

2013: Thriving in the Transition to 450mm (SST, Jan 2)

2012 Articles:

Collaborative Advantage: Design Impact of 450mm Transition (EE Times, Dec 6)

London Calling: TSMC Next for New York  Fab? (EE Times, Nov 22)

Europe Plots Three Pilot Wafer Fabs (EE Times, Nov 21)

ENIAC: Wild's Dream  (Electronics Weekly, Nov 20)

Process Control Key to 450mm Wafer Transition Success  (Chip Design, Oct 25)

More Industry News

May 24: Brussels Forum (Brussels, Belgium)

Jul 9-11: SEMICON West 2013 (San Francisco, Calif.)  $50 registration ends June 7.  450mm-related content includes:

• R&D Panel “A Conversation on the Future of Semiconductor Technology” (July 10)
• Executive Panel “A Promising but Challenging Future” (July 10)
• Silicon Wafers – Future Standardization to Enable the Transition (July 10)
• 450 Manufacturing EHS Forum (July 10)
• 450 Transition Forum (July 11) 
• 2013 Bulls & Bears (July 11)

Sep 4-6: SEMICON Taiwan 2013 (Taipei)

Oct 8-10: SEMICON Europa 2013 (Dresden, Germany)

Past Events with 450mm content

InnoLas Semiconductor Installs Second 450mm System (InnoLas, Mar 2012)

Gigaphoton's Latest GT64A ArF Excimer Lasers Now Available for Order to Support 450mm Wafer and Multi-Patterning Lithography (Gigaphoton, Feb 2013)

Molecular Imprints Delivers Industry’s 1st 450mm Advanced Lithography System to Semi. Manufacturer in Support of 450mm Initiative  (Molecular Imprints Inc, Jan 2013)

Wafer Chucks for Inspection and other Applications (Berliner Glas, Jan 2013)

More Technology & Products

-- Email 450editor@semi.org your 450mm-related new product press release (Word)/photo (jpeg)  

Key Factors For a Smooth and Orderly Transition to 450mm Platform, Kirk Hasserjian, Applied Materials (Silicon Valley Lunch Forum (SVLF), Apr 2013)

Industry Collaboration for Cost Effective Manufacturing, Steve Johnston,  Intel (SVLF, Apr 2013)

Stronger Partnerships: Reducing Risks, Accelerating Progress, James Koonmen, ASML (SVLF, Apr 2013)

Enable450 Newsletter-- April (funded by European Commission, Apr 2013)

Enable 450 Newsletter-- March (funded by European Commission, Mar 2013)

Enabling a Cost-Effective 450mm Transition, Frank H. Robertson, G450C (SEMICON Japan; Dec 2012)

WW Electronics and Semiconductor LongTerm Market View and 450mm Era, Akira Minamikawa, IHS iSuppli Japan (SEMICON Japan; Dec 2012)

More 450 Presentations

• 
  Development and Technology Intercept Targets
• 
  Projected 450mm Milestones
• 
  Demand by Wafer Size
• 
  Communication for G450C Members & Participants
• 
  Supply-Chain Readiness

Global 450 Consortium (G450C)

Imec

SEMATECH

450mm Standards at SEMI (SEMI, April 2013)

An Update on 450mm Activities in SEMI Standards (SEMI, April 2013)

Japan Update: SEMI Standards Technical Education Program (STEP) on 450 mm Wafer at SEMICON Japan 2011 (SEMI, Mar 2012)

Overview Guide to SEMI Standard for 450mm Wafer (SEMI, Dec 2011)