More Viewpoints

450mm Wafer at Industry Strategy Symposium 2013
Intel's Robert E. Bruck (corp. VP and GM of Technology Mfg. Engineering) and Mario Abravanel, 450mm Equipment program manager, make the first public presentation of a fully patterned 450mm silicon wafer at the SEMI Industry Strategy Symposium on Jan. 15, 2013. Bruck said the wafer was patterned with 26nm features using nano imprint lithography and that thousands of similar wafers will be made available in the coming quarters to suppliers engaged in 450mm tool development. (SEMI, Jan 15)

Nikon and Intel Announcements Highlight 450mm News from Japan
News from SEMICON Japan 450mm Transition Forum: Kazuo Ushida, president of Nikon Precision Equipment, said the company plans to ship high-volume manufacturing (HVM) lithography tools in 2017 through a joint development effort with a chip maker.

Paul Farrar, Jr., Discusses Global 450mm Consortium (G450C) 
Paul Farrar, Jr., GM of the G450C at College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) and CNSE VP for Manufacturing Innovation, discusses the progress and impact of the G450C and its significant potential benefits to New York State and the nanoelectronics industry. (YouTube, 32 min)

European Consortia, ASML, Supplier Network Plan for 450mm Transition
At SEMICON Europa in Dresden, representatives from G450C, imec, Fraunhofer IISB, and others discussed mechanisms for greater European participation, and emerging research initiatives, related to 450mm development--possibly signaling a major change in the 450mm planning framework

TSMC Unveils Schedule for 450 Mass Production -- and Lithography is the Key
At the SEMICON Taiwan 2012 450mm Supply Chain Forum on September 7, leading foundries and equipment manufacturers such as TSMC, TEL, Lam Research, Applied Materials and KLA-Tencor convened to discuss the latest trends in 450nm technology as well as the opportunities and challenges involved.

Innovation plus Scale-up Needed to Tackle the Complexities and Cost of 450mm
It’s fair to say that the 450mm transition is one of the most expensive and complicated endeavors the industry has had to navigate; some might even say it’s the most complicated undertaking. 

450mm Wafer Transition: Supply Chain Impact Discussed at SEMICON West 2012
With pilot line programs accelerating in New York and leading chip manufacturers increasingly committed to 450mm, discussions on the industry’s transition to larger wafers have moved to the complicated questions of when and how.

SEMI Educates Policymakers on 450mm Transition
As the transition to 450mm heats up, SEMI has met with over 50 Federal and State government officials to discuss the likely impacts and requirements on a chip industry transition to 450mm wafers.

Back-End Perspectives on 450mm Wafers and Emerging Panel Scale Packaging Technologies
With the transition to 450mm wafers, collaborations and exchanges between industry players are needed to develop cost effective and timely solutions for packaging and assembly.

Report Examines Europe’s 450mm Role
A study commissioned by the European Commission on the impact of 450mm manufacturing concludes that not having a 450mm production infrastructure in Europe will “threaten the competitiveness of the current European SC manufacturing base, including technology development and device design.”