Subject: Cleanroom growth accelerates
Asian Flat panel display and semiconductor expansions drive world cleanroom market growth
Construction of new cleanrooms declined in 2001 and 2002. An upturn started in 2003 and is now turning into a boom. This is reflected in the numbers of projects tracked by the McIlvaine Company in World Cleanroom Projects and in the forecasts for hardware and consumables compiled in the online report, Cleanrooms: World Markets.
The flat panel display (fpd) industry has become a major purchaser of cleanrooms. The market is centered in Asia and expanding from Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea to China. Corning is in the midst of constructing a $750 million liquid crystal display glass plant in Taichung, Taiwan.
Sony and Samsung will produce seventh-generation amorphous-silicon TFT products at Samsung’s Chung Cheong Nam-Do facility now under construction in South Korea.
Shenzhen Tianma is a producer of cell phone display modules and recently announced plans to invest in a Generation 4.5 TFT LCD fab in Shenzhen. In the greater Shanghai area there are several FPD projects. They include the SVA/NEC joint venture Gen 5 TFT LCD fab – due to begin production in the fourth quarter of this year – as well as “back end” FPD assembly investments by a number of companies.
Construction of new semiconductor facilities in Asia will be greater than in other regions, but there is substantial activity in Europe and the U.S. Samsung is spending $500 million to upgrade the Austin, Texas fab as well as increase its capacity. The expansion will allow Samsung Austin Semiconductor to produce chips with geometries of 0.10 to 0.08 micron at a capacity of 50,000 wafers per month.
Intel Corporation has begun a $2-billion project to convert a 200-mm fabrication facility to a state-of-the-art 300-mm facility in Chandler, AZ. The conversion of Fab 12, the first such modification of its kind for Intel, is scheduled to be completed late next year.
There are a number of other industries that are increasing their cleanroom investment. The pharmaceutical/biotechnology companies are building large biotech facilities which require much more cleanroom hardware and consumables than typical parenteral drug facilities.
The automobile industry and other companies who need mirror quality finishes on their coated metal products are turning to cleanroom technology to meet their quality needs. Medical device manufacturers typically utilize medium sized cleanrooms for assembly of their products. The development of nanotechnology is dependent on cleanroom technology.
For more information on World Cleanroom Projects click on: http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/cleanroom.html#80A and
Cleanrooms: World Markets click on: http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/cleanroom.html .
Bob McIlvaine
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